When it all Comes Together
by F-Hazard
Summary: Let's see, what's to tell about me? I own a small candy store, I am as close to being a master of seals as anyone my age can be, and I have a voice in my head, er, sword. My name? Well, I was born as Naruto, now... not so much.
1. Prologue

**AN: **From **Oni Shin**'s challenge.

All the characters from **Bleach** are put into the world of **Naruto**. Where the Gotei 13 are in the elemental nations.

First chapter is very long and just sets up the relationships between various **Bleach** and **Naruto** characters. I'd like to think that I did a good job with being creative, but I guess it's up to you in the end.

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**Prologue**

Within the mountains of the large northeastern country of Tsuchi no Kuni, the Village Hidden in the Rocks, Iwagakure no Sato, or just Iwa for short, was one of the five main hidden villages of the great continent known as the Elemental Nations. It was an ancient time compared to the one now, as the villages had just been finally settled, the great Bijuu, or Tailed Beasts, had been separated to the most populated of the ninja villages and the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama, had recently been brought into power, and what would later be known as the First Great Shinobi War was well on it's way. But none of these are what our story is about. Our story is about a boy who has not even been born yet, so why are we talking about this old time? Simple, this is where it all began. It began with a choice, and it would lead to an everlasting change of this continent, but not for some time to come.

What led the change will be a group of many strong individuals, the oldest and most experienced of them being right from this village of Iwa, at the village gates to be more specific.

A man, into his early forties, stood in front of three boys, one being noticeably older then the other two. The man was a Jonin of Iwa, and a very good one. His vast knowledge of _Katon_, or Fire Release, techniques had led him to survive and win many battles in the ongoing war, though not uninjured. If he were to remove his shirt, one would see a darkly tanned and chiseled chest, littered with scars. The three boys were his students, and today may be the last time he ever saw one of them.

The oldest one was a boy, no, a man appearing to be in his early twenties. He had brick-red hair with kind eyes. He was garbed in standard Iwa attire, a brand new Chunin vest on his chest and a large brown headpiece with an Iwa headband on the forehead. This boy possibly had the highest Chakra reserves in the village, along with the most dangerous powers. Thus the reason he was leaving, he couldn't control either of them. His name was Roshi, no surname, having lost his parents before he was old enough to even know them. He was a special man, as when Senju Hashirama, the Shodai Hokage had given the Bijuu to the many villages, Iwa had gotten the Yonbi no Saru, Four-Tailed Monkey. The demon was then sealed within this child, Roshi, at a young age, making him a Jinchuriki.

The second boy was dressed in similar attire to the first, minus the vest. He had short white hair, despite being no older than twelve, and calm brown eyes. He was the eldest son of a low-class aristocratic family. He lived with his five brothers and two sisters, essentially supporting them by himself. He was young, yes, but he was no stranger to a battlefield. He had a sword, a katana, strapped to each side of his waist. He was frowning slightly at Roshi.

The third and final member of this group was another boy, just as young as the second and dressed the same, though his clothes were partially hidden under a bright pink haori. His messy brown hair hanging wildly, showing he had not combed it recently, if ever. Both him and his white-haired friend had been prodigies, getting onto the same team as Roshi and their sensei when they were young, nearly eight years younger than Roshi, putting the Jinchuriki at the same age as one Sarutobi Hiruzen.

"So, you're really going, Roshi?" Said the Jonin, more as a statement then question.

"Hai, sensei." Replied Roshi, bowing slightly. "Now that I have reached Chunin I can leave the village."

"But why leave?" Asked the white-haired boy, frowning at his teammate. "We need you here, the war is still-"

"Silence!" Said the Jonin, and his student obeyed, while the pink wearing boy sighed. "It is his choice if he wishes to do so."

"The war is practically over." Said Roshi, turning to his two younger teammates. "I need to go as soon as I can and train _it_."

The pink-garbed boy sighed again, seeming to do that a lot. "You're always talking about training that monkey of yours, Roshi. Yet whenever you try you just blow something up. Why not just give up? It's not like you need it."

"Not now." Roshi said back. "But someday I will need _its_ strength. That's why I'm leaving. It's far to dangerous to use it around here." The pink-wearing boy sighed again and the white-haired boy's frown deepened.

"I guess we can't stop you. You never were the type to give up anyway." Said the pink-wearing boy.

"Good luck, Roshi." Said the Jonin, his oldest charge turning to him. "And if you ever fully master the crazy lava power of yours, seek me out, it'll be a good fight." He finished, smiling.

Roshi returned the smile with a nodded. When he turned back to his pink-wearing teammate, the boy sighed again, but looked back with a small smile. "Kick some ass, Monkey-Boy." Roshi visibly flinched at the old nickname, causing the some chuckles.

When Roshi looked at his white-haired teammate, the boy was still frowning. After a momentary staring contest, he muttered something under his breath before speaking to Roshi. "Just don't die."

This caused Roshi's smile to widen, getting a smile in return from white-haired boy to. "As if that would ever happen." The redhead then bowed to his sensei again. "I will make you proud, sensei." Turning to the white-haired boy. "Take care of that family of yours, Jushiro." The white-haired boy, now known as Jushiro, nodded and smiled wider. Roshi turned to the last member. "Try to stop being so damn lazy, Shunsui."

The pink-wearing boy, Shunsui, just smiled and made a peace sign with one hand. "As if."

Roshi chuckled and turned, running out the village gates, waving over his shoulder. After he disappeared into the distance, the _Katon_ using Jonin turned to his two remaining charges. "We better train, you don't want to fall behind him now, do you?"

Jushiro nodded and stood straight like any good student. Shunsui just sighed again. "Hai, Yama-Jii."

"Stop calling me that, I'm not _that_ old." The Jonin replied.

"You have a beard and most of your hair is gone." Shunsui replied. "Face it, the great _Ryujin no Yamamoto_ (Yamamoto of the Dragon God) is old."

Yamamoto let out of low growl, his eyes narrowing. "This is why I say that all of you youngsters need a good beating."

* * *

That was the outcome of one war. Not who won it, but the three people; Genryusai Shigenkuni Yamamoto, Ukitake Jushiro, and Kyoraku Shunsui. Three warriors of Iwa that will one day join the group that will change the world.

Some years later, in a situation that is both similar and at the same time completely different. Now, in the later war known as the Second Great Shinobi War, we have many more occurrences. The first being here, on an abandoned street, in an abandoned town, in an abandoned farmland. We find a lone person, a child. It was a girl, ten at the oldest. The rain was pouring down as she sat there, her knees hugged to her chest, her short green hair darkened by the falling water. She wore a dark cloak that covered her whole body and was horribly starved, not having eaten in days.

Just when she was about to fall into an uneasy sleep, she heard a noise from the mouth of the alleyway she was hiding in. Thinking quickly, she ducked behind a nearby dumpster just as she heard light footsteps coming towards her. After a minute of tense silence, something came around the dumpster and saw the girl, but it was not a ninja like she was expecting.

"Bark! Bark!" The small, brown dog yipped at the hiding girl, who just starred back, her gray eyes holding slight confusion.

"Oi! Chibi, where are you?" Came a voice.

"Maybe he went go get something to eat." Said another voice, this one quieter and more nervous sounding.

"Come on, Nagato." The first voice said. "We just ate what we swiped off the last guy, Chibi can't still be hungry."

"Bark! Bark!" The little dog yipped out again.

"Hey, he's over here!" Came a third voice, this one sounding female. There was then the sound of feet thudding on the wet ground and splashing, indicating someone running to the small dog, Chibi, causing the hiding girl's dark gray eyes to widen in fear. "Chibi, what are you doing, running away like that?" The voice questioned again, much closer.

"Bark! Bark!" Chibi yipped out, turning to face the person but not moving from its spot.

"What's wrong with you? We need to go-" The voice cut off as the person, a young, blue-haired girl came into view, instantly seeing the hiding girl. The newcomer's amber eyes widened and she turned back to the mouth of the alleyway, yelling to whoever was there. "Yahiko! Nagato! Someone's here!"

"What?" Came two voices at the same time, followed by the sounds of more people running down the alley. The two people stopped next to the blue-haired girl, appearing to be about the same age. One had spiky orange hair. He gave a concerned look at the half-starved girl. The other one was deathly pale with his saggy crimson red hair covering his eyes.

"Hey there." Said the blue-haired girl, kneeling down to look at the soaked girl, who was terrified of being surrounded as she was, but the calming voice stopped her from acting rashly. "My name is Konan. What's yours?"

The girl looked between the three people, no older than she was. Thinking for a moment, she brushed her dark green hair away from her eyes and spoke. "Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck."

* * *

Now we move to the large village of Konohagakure no Sato, or the Village Hidden Among Tree Leaves. In this village is where the boy, the one that this story is about, will be born, but we are not there yet. Right now, we are still in the Second Great Shinobi War. Much like in Iwa, we will start at the village gates. But this is not like the four in Iwa where they parted on a happy note, no. This is much different.

Here, in the dark of night, we find a single person, a female. A Kunoichi, as she obviously was one, was dressed in samurai-like armor with her long blond hair tied in two ponytails. She was labeled the greatest medic-nin in the world, not that she believed it. She had failed to save her lover, and later her younger brother, both falling to this horrible war. She was Senju Tsunade, and in her hand she held what she believes had cursed them to their deaths, a necklace.

The granddaughter of Hashirama put the necklace on and began to walk out of the village, never wanting to come back. Just when she was under the gateway, two voices stopped her.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Turning around, the Slug Princess saw two girls, both ten years old, running towards her. They were twins, and what would have someday been related to Tsunade, being as they were her deceased lover's nieces. They both had dark hair and were the same height. One kept her hair long and in a partial braid with kind blue eyes. The other kept her hair short with her eyes being coal black.

"Retsu, Shizune, what are you doing?" Tsunade questioned.

The two girls stopped in front of the Slug Princess, panting heavily from their run. Taking a moment to catch their breath, the two similarly dropped to the ground and bowed deeply to Tsunade, speaking at the same time. "Tsunade-sama, please bring us with you!" They both yelled out, not looking up.

Tsunade was surprised by this, and then remembered something important, they had no one left. Their mother, Dan's sister, had died shortly after their birth, followed soon by their father. Now with Dan, Tsunade's lover, dead as well they had no one left.

"Very well."

The twins' heads shot up, not expecting it to be that easy. A large smile adorned each of their faces.

"But." Tsunade continued, causing the two's smiles to fall. "We will be leaving Konoha, for good." The twins, who had stood back up, nodded, they knew this was coming. "Do you have everything you need, it will be a long trip." Two more nods. "Very well, we will leave immediately, but only if you can keep a secret."

"Secret, Tsunade-sama?" Retsu asked, Shizune tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Yes, a secret." Tsunade confirmed, a small smile on her face. "One that you can never tell _anyone_, understand?" She hissed out.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" They chorused.

Tsunade nodded before another smile adorned her face. She got a far away look in her eyes as she placed a hand on her stomach. "It seems that Dan-kun has left me one more gift before he passed on." The girls' eyes widened. "I have many enemies, and if they found out I have a daughter than she won't survive long, that's why I need you to keep it a secret."

The two nodded again, Shizune speaking up. "If you know it's going to be a girl, what will you name her?"

Tsunade's smile widened. "I'll give her Dan's surname, Kotetsu. So her name will be Kotetsu Isane."

* * *

Now, once again, we skip to another war, The Third Great Shinobi War. It is the last major war to happen thus far, but there will be others, no question about that, but for now let us focus on this one. Actually, let us first look at the trigger for this famous war, the disappearance of the Sandaime Kazekage of Sunagakure no Sato, the Village Hidden in the Sand. The disappearance was actually an assassination of the Kazekage, one of the few in the world that actually went off with no problem, and even better no one knowing.

For the actual battle, the Kazekage, sole user of the legendary _Iron Sand_, was completely annihilated by two people. One being equally famous as the Kazekage, the puppet master, Akasuna no Sasori (Sasori of the Red Sand). The other assassin being a young, slightly psychopathic, boy by the name of Ichimaru Gin.

These two, like many before them, had also left their village. Walking through the desert, Sasori showed no emotion, while Gin kept his eyes narrowed to slits and a large smile on his face, though this was normal for the boy. His hair was sort and silver in color. He wore a black robe that stopped at his knees; it was decorated with a white chain design going from his left shoulder to his waist. In his small hands was a bag of dried persimmons, where he got them was anyone's guess. He was humming a small tune, not seeming to care that the high sun was beating down on him.

Sasori, a man with tanned skin, blood red hair, and a dead look in his eyes; paid no attention to his young companion, but when the humming suddenly stopped, the puppet user turned around to see the boy standing several steps behind him and looking to his left. "Gin, Why did you stop?" Instead of answering, the fox-like boy ran in the direction he was looking stopping several yards away over something orange. When Sasori got closer, he saw that it was actually a girl, about Gin's age and on death's door.

"You must be hungry." Gin noted, hovering over the girl. "My name is Ichimaru Gin, what's yours?"

Sasori stayed where he was as Gin fed the girl some of his dried persimmons. For anyone else, Sasori would have just left him, but Gin was helpful. He was by far the smartest kid the puppeteer ever met, a real genius.

The girl spoke up in a raspy voice after eating some of the fruits. "Matsumoto Rangiku."

* * *

On the other side of the map, in a small country that was slowly being consumed by the war, was the Village Hidden Among the Whirling Tides, Uzushiogakure no Sato. On the coast of the island country a battle was raging. Among the fighters of were a Genin team consisting of one female and two males. The female and one of the males had blood red hair, a common sight for those of Uzushio. The third member had coal black hair, also quiet common.

"Niño, where are you going?" Yelled the black haired boy with a heavy accent as he spun into a kick, hitting an enemy shinobi and killing him instantly. "The battle is this way!"

"Oh, just let the idiot go, Dor." Said the female, deflecting oncoming projectiles with a pair of glowing chains. "If he wants to go fight on his own then let him."

The man known as Dordoni Alessandro del Socaccio, snorted at the nickname. "I told you to stop calling me that, Bebé."

"I will as soon as you stop calling me that." The woman said, never taking her eyes of the fight. "Same with that idiot, Renji. If you stop calling him Niño then he'll call you by name… probably."

"Fine, I'll call you Kushina, happy now?"

"Very." She said with a smile, only for it to slip when she saw her other teammate running back from wherever he went off to, a large group of enemies behind him. Kushina pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why is he such an idiot?" She asked no one in particular.

* * *

In a less populated Snow Country, Yuki no Kuni, the Daimyo of the country, Kazahana Sosetsu, was in his office, writing on various documents. He stopped when a knock came from his room door. "Come in." He said, putting down his pen. The door opened to show a girl, a teenager at most. Her dark hair was tied in two braids, her green eyes shown through her red-rimmed glasses.

"Reporting in, sir." The teenager said with a deep bow.

"Ah, Lisa, it's good to see you." Said Sosetsu. "What do you have to report?"

Lisa rose form her bow, fixing her glasses with a finger. "It would seem that none of the inland countries are attempting to attack us, so we should be safe." The Daimyo nodded. "How are things here, if I may ask sir?"

"Very good, my wife, along with Ise-san are expecting children, both are expected to be girls." The man said, a wide smile adorning his face.

Lisa smiled back. "That's good to hear, sir." Her smile suddenly dropped, replaced by a scowl. "But as good as that may be, sir, I still believe you should watch out for your younger brother."

"Doto? What would he do?" The man asked, obviously confused.

"Just call it a hunch, sir." And with that, she left.

* * *

On another country that was away from the mainland, known as Oni no Kuni, Demon Country, another similar meeting was taking place. This one being between the great priestess, Miroku, and one of her more favorable guards. "So, what do you have to say?"

"The other countries will not attack us, Miroku-sama." Said the blonde teenager, his long hair falling over one eye. His face had a look of someone who was deeply depressed, yet it fit him perfectly. "They are concentrating all their forces on each other."

"That is good to hear, Kira." Said the priestess, visibly relaxing. "By the way where is the other two?"

Kira opened his mouth to answer, only to be stop as a loud crash was heard from right outside the door, followed closely by a "Hey get back here!"

"They're outside." Kira said, followed by another crash. "Should I stop them?"

"Please do. We don't need more things to fix." Said Miroku.

"Hai, Miroku-sama." Kira turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. He then pulled his weapon, a large metal hook, from his waist and held it at his side. "I will never understand these two." He muttered, seeing the many broken walls that were already to late to save. "Now, where did they-" A crash was heard in the distance. "There they are." The blonde walked down the pathway and soon found his targets.

There was another teenager with short silver hair and a look of anger on his face. He was currently panting and bruised while kneeling on the ground. In one hand, he had the neck of a girl who he was pinning to the ground. The girl had green hair, held back by what appeared to be goggles. A scarf around her neck and wide, innocent eyes.

"What the hell was all that, Mashiro?" The silver-haired man yells at the girl. Mashiro blinks then shrugs, much to the man's annoyance. "That's it." He hissed out, rearing his free hand back and curling it into a fist.

Kira sighed loudly at this, looking at the sky. "Why does Miroku-sama keep these two around anyway?" When another crash was heard, Kira looked back to see Mashiro gone and the man sprawling on the ground. When he got up, a large bruise was visible on his chin. He let out a chain of curses before running in a random direction, intent on finding the girl. Kira sighed again. "Dammit Kensei, I was hoping not to have to chase you." He then saw a small boy with short black hair and in a pale brown kimono. "Shuhei-san, you shouldn't be too close to those two." Kira said, gaining the boy's attention.

"H-Hai!"

With a nod, the blonde gave chase.

* * *

Some time after this particular war was over, we find a man sitting in a bar within Konoha. He had long blond hair with blue eyes, garbed in the usual Konoha Jonin attire with a white trench coat. He was Namikaze Minato, war hero and Yondaime Hokage. As he was finishing another shot, someone sat down next to him.

"Get me what he's having." The newcomer, a blue-haired, blue-eyed man with a feral look in his eyes; said to the bartender, getting a nod in return.

Minato looked at the newcomer, raising an eyebrow. "Grimmjow? What're you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, buddy." The blue-haired man returned, receiving his drink and quickly consuming it. "Aren't you supposed to be, ya know, leading the village?"

Minato consumed another shot and sighed. Looking around quickly, he saw no one else in the bar and the bartender was too far away to listen. "Wife's having another mood swing." He whispered, Grimmjow nodded in understanding.

"Any idea why?" The man asked.

"I have a couple Ideas." Minato answered. "If I had to guess I'd say-"

"You two aren't leaving me out of this, are you?" Interrupted another voice.

The two men flinched in surprise. "Will you stop doing that, Tia!" Grimmjow yelled at the new comer.

"Stopping doing what?" The person asked in apparent confusion. She was a tall woman, dark skinned with blond hair kept in two braids. The collar of her coat was tall and covered her entire lower face, much like her father's, an Aburame, had. He mother was from Kumogakure no Sato, hence her blond hair and dark skin.

"Sneaking up on us!" Grimmjow continued to rant at the tall woman.

"Just give it up, Jaegerjaquez." The bartender shouted from around the corner. "No matter how you start an argument, you'll never win it." Minato snickered at the man's words, mainly because they were true.

Grimmjow saw this and growled at the blonde. "Oh shut the hell up, Namikaze."

"Hey!" Minato yelled back, his face abnormally serious. "That's Hokage-sama to you!" There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other, before simultaneously bursting into laughter.

"Nice one." Grimmjow finally said as the laughter died down. "If Ero-sensei was here he'd say it too."

"Yeah, wish he was here though, I needed to ask him something and it's already too late." Minato sighed out. Seeing the questioning looks on the other two's faces, he motioned for Tia to sit, before taking a breath. "As I said, Kushina is having major mood swings right now."

"So you were looking for Ero-sensei for help with a woman?" Grimmjow asked in disbelief. "Minato, you make me sad."

"No, that's not it." The Hokage said as is blue haired friend ordered another drink, Tia remained silent and listened carefully. "As I was saying, I know _why_ she's having mood swings, I just needed to ask sensei for something."

"And why is Kushina-san having mood swings?" Tia asked as Grimmjow brought his drink to his lips.

"She's pregnant."

The blue-haired man's eyes shot open and he began to choke on his drink. After a minute of pounding his fist into his chest, he was finally able to form words.

"Huh?"

Okay, maybe it was only one word, but still.

"Yeah, I'm going to be a dad." Minato said, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"That would explain the mood swings, but why did you want sensei?" Grimmjow asked while Tia had a look of deep thought on the part of her face that was visible.

"I was going to ask that if he could find Tsunade-sama so I could ask them to be the little-guy's godparents." Minato replied.

"Wait." Tia suddenly said before Grimmjow could respond. "You said it was already to late to find sensei, why?"

Minato suddenly found his empty shot glass very interesting. "… She's… due… in about a week."

* * *

Elsewhere, back in Tsuchi no Kuni, two people were arguing… in the middle of a burning village.

"Dammit, I've told you!" Screamed one of them, a feminine blond man with his hair up in a ponytail. Only his right eye was visible as his hair covered his left. "True art is a BANG, yeah."

"And I've told you, Deidara, that true art is not an instant, it is something that can be held forever but only used when desired, it is music." Said the other man, also blonde. His hair was longer, going passed his shoulders with a bang crossing his face. His purple eyes held a look of boredom.

"You know nothing, Rojuro!" Deidara yelled back. "Your silly form of art is pathetically miniscule compared to mine, yeah!"

"I told you, I prefer being called Rose." Rojuro replied. "And what do you mean music is pathetic compared to your childish need to destroy things?"

Deidara growled lowly. "It's not childish! Just look around you and you will see what I mean, yeah." The man said, gesturing to the burning village around them. "Music could never do that, so hah!"

Rose sighed. "I can see that we are getting nowhere with this." His eyes then brightened slightly as he got an idea. "I know, from now on, we go our separate ways. Whenever we meet, we shall see who has the better form of art."

Deidara seemed to think it over before smirking largely. "I like it, yeah. We shall meet again, soon, and I will prove to you that my art is better."

Rose nodded. "Until then, my brother."

* * *

And now we move onto yet another war, not a Great Shinobi War. This one was known simply as the Bloodline War, a civil war in the country of Mizu no Kuni, home of the Village Hidden in the Mist, Kirigakure no Sato. A rebellion, led by one Terumi Mei, was started after the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura, had started to kill off all the bloodlines in the country. At the woman's side was were two men. One being a blue-haired older man with an eye patch. The other was a wider man in a purple suit with pink hair and a pink mustache.

"Enemies at eight and twelve o'clock." Said the one with the eye patch. Instantly, Mei and the pink-haired man each turned in one of the mentioned directions. A cloud of boiling hot steam came from Mei's mouth, literally _melting_ the enemies. The man struck his hand out, palm facing the on coming enemies, and released a seal-less _Raiton_ technique, electrocuting all in its path. "Six and two." The eye patch wearing man spoke up again, seeming to see through the trees. Again, the two Ninjutsu users cast their own techniques. The pink-haired man launching a seal-less _Doton_ and Mei sending lava. "Ok, big group at- wait, never mind."

"What do you mean 'never mind'?" Mei shouted at the man.

"I would also like an explanation, Ao-dono." Said the wide man.

They then saw a big group of enemies coming over the hill, just as Ao said they would. "Screw it." Said Mei, beginning to do hand seals, only to be stopped by Ao. "What are you doing, Ao?" She shouted at the one eyed man.

"Wait for it." The man said, not looking away from the large oncoming group. "Wait for it." They continued to get closer. "Wait for it." They were now easily within striking distance. "There!"

"Hiramekarei Kaiho (Hiramekarei Unsealing)!" At the command, a giant hammer made of energy smashed into the group of enemies, followed closely by a giant egg-shaped mace.

The enemies were quickly dispatched from the surprise attacks and two people landed. One, a blue-haired man with glasses connected to headphones, was holding the energy-hammer, only for it to dissipate, leaving a large double-handed sword. The other, a taller man with large afro and dark sunglasses, had the large mace resting on his shoulder.

"It is good to see that you are well, Chojuro-dono, Love-dono." Said the pink-haired man, bowing slightly.

"You to, Hachi." Said the man with the mace, Love. "How things going for you?"

"Good, it seems that we can finally take this to Yagura." Ao answered. "I think that it's about time that man gets a long needed dirt nap." Love nodded in agreement.

Mei, who was a little ways away, getting a report form Chojuro, had heard this, well, part of it anyway. _"Man? About time? Get?"_ With a too-sweet smile, she turned to the one-eyed man. "Ao?"

"Huh?"

"Shut up, or I'll kill you."

"_What'd I do?"_

* * *

Some ways away, in a clearing of a forest, a man sat against a tree. He had no shirt on, having lost it in the battles. His pants and dark hair were coated in blood. In one hand he held a sword as he looked at the sky. Around him were countless bodies of Kiri-nin, the ground soaked in their blood. At hearing a sound, the man looked down to see the last thing he expected, a child.

She was crawling, showing how young she was. He cheeks seemed to hold a permanent blush and he bubblegum pink hair framed her round face as she crawled through the carnage towards the last living man in the clearing.

"What are you doing here?" The man asked the child as she stopped in front of him. "This is the seventy-ninth district of Kiri, one of the first places they hit in the wars. How were you able to survive that long?" The child didn't answer, she just stared at him. "Do you have a name? I guess you wouldn't, would you?" The girl then turned to the man's sword that was stuck in the ground, reaching out to touch it. "You shouldn't touch that, swords are dangerous." Seeming to ignore him, she touched the menacing blade anyway, bringing her hand back, she giggled as it was covered in the blood. The man grew a surprised look at that, but it turned into a smirk. "Hey, I like you kid." The girl looked up at him, giving him a curious look. "How about you come with me?" The girl then crawled to his leg and started laughing again. The man's smirk grew. "Well, you still need a name. How about Yachiru, he was the only man I ever admired." The girl's laughter grew, seeming in approval. "As for a surname, this is the seventy-ninth district, so how about Kusajishi?"

The sounds someone approaching caused the man to tense and grip his blade. When the person came into view, it was a young girl, ten years of age with long black hair, partially held up in a bun. When he saw her, the man relaxed. "Back so soon, Haku?" The man asked.

The girl nodded, scrunching her nose at the carnage. "Did you really have to kill all of them?" She asked, though she knew the answer. Haku then saw the small, pink-haired bundle and her eyes widened. "Who's that?"

"Yachiru. Kusajishi Yachiru. She'll be coming with us." The man answered.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Haku asked. The man gave her a serious look and she sighed. "Very well. Where do we go next, Zabuza-san?"

* * *

Elsewhere, near the heart of Kirigakure no Sato, the streets were completely abandoned, sans for one person. A man with cold gray eyes and shoulder length brown hair. He wore a necklace that seemed to be the lower jaw of some kind of animal around his neck. He walked the through the streets, hands in his pockets, completely alone, something that he was used to.

Well, he wasn't _completely_ alone. Hidden in the shadows of a nearby alley, a pair of pink eyes was watching him. As soon as he passed the shadow, the figure darted out and jumped at his back, only to hit the ground as he easily side stepped and avoided the attack without even looking. The figure got back up and charged again, letting out a battle cry. The man sighed and brought one of his hands out of his pockets to backhanded her across the face, sending her skidding across the street. It was a girl, dressed in rags. Her lime green hair stood out like a sore thumb, her pink eyes showing anger as she struggled to stand back up.

"Why are you doing this?" The man asked in tired voice. Instead of answering, the girl growled lowly and charged again, screaming out as she did. The man easily dodged. "Never charge straight on. Attack from the shadows like you just did, that was a good tactic would have worked if you were attacking a civilian." She charged again, and he dodged, his hands being replaced into his pockets. "Now that you're out in the open, you have to either fight, which I know you're too tired for." He dodged another charge, not stopping in his talk. "Run away or give up, but I doubt you'd do those either, so you might as well fight right." She stood back up, but reeled back as the man appeared right in front of her. "You're stance is horrible." He said, delivering a single kick to her ribcage, breaking through her nonexistent guard.

She hit the ground hard, trying to right her breathing. The man bent down and grabbed her by the back of her shirt, picking her up with one hand. She scrunched her eyes closed and prepared for pain, but was surprised when he placed her on her feet. Opening her eyes, she saw him kick her legs to spread them out, keeping a hand on her shoulder.

"Always keep your feet apart and one hand close for a quick block," He said, moving her right hand across her chest and her left stretched out. "-and the other ready to strike." He then looked around the street before settling his eyes on a knife left by a clumsy ninja on his way to a battle. He kicked the kunai into the air and caught it with little difficulty. He placed the kunai in her right hand, still near her chest, and curled her small fingers around the metal, holding it in reverse grip. "If at all possible, keep a weapon at all times. If it's a knife like this then hold it reverse, it's not meant to be fought with like a sword."

With that, the man turned and left the stunned girl. It was a minute before the girl realized what just happened and chased after the man, but not to attack this time. "Hey, wait!" She called. The man stopped and turned slightly to look at her. "I never got your name, mine is Lilynette."

The man looked at her for a moment before turning back to the direction he was previously going and began walking again. "Coyote Starrk." The man was surprised when she continued to follow him. Looking at her from the corner of his eye, he saw that she had a serious look on her face, but somehow looked infinitely happier than before. He could not help it, he let a small smile grace his lips.

Maybe he would not be so lonely anymore.

* * *

Now, we return to Konoha, in an underground bunker this time. The room was barren, no pictures on the dark walls, the only lighting being from the candles the lined the walls. The room had two occupants. One was an elderly man, wrapped in bandages. A scar on his chin and a cane in his one workable hand.

"I see that you are back." The cripple said to the other figure, a kneeling teenager, only his black hair visible in the lighting.

"Hai, Danzo-sama." The kneeling man said, not moving in the slightest.

"Are you well enough to take on another mission immediately?" Asked Danzo to who was possibly his best subordinate. He had taken well to the _training_, no longer having even an ounce of emotions left, he did not even try to pretend to have them like many others in ROOT, he just accepted it.

"Of course."

"Good, I am sending you on a special mission. The new village within Ta no Kuni has been able to kill all of our previous spies. So this time I'm sending you, do not fail. Understood?"

"Hai." The teenager, still not moving. "Shall I be given a name for this assignment?"

"Just your usual, now rise." Danzo commanded, and the teenager complied, showing his pale skin and bright emerald-green eyes to the world. "Now go, Ulquiorra."

"Hai."

* * *

Now we will go to a new country, one Kaminari no Kuni, Lightning country. The Village Hidden in the Clouds, Kumogakure no Sato could be found within the northern country. In this ninja village, two people, both dark-skinned like many others in Kumo, were walking along a high bridge that connected two buildings. One of them, the female, held an aura of seriousness and authority that only a noble could have. She had short dark-purple hair, kept up in a bun, her eyes were a cat-like yellow. She kept her figure covered in a bright yellow robe, decorated with flowers. Her arms were crossed, hands in the robes' sleeves and walked with a perfect posture. Various guards were following her, but one in particular stood out, being the youngest. He also had dark skin as well and appeared to be a teenager, older than the girl. He had very short black hair and a pair of glasses that seemed to constantly reflect light so his eyes could not be seen. He wore a dark blue robe with yellow trim and a high collar.

Down below, two people watched as the obvious noblewoman pass by, the sunset giving a dramatic effect. One of the watchers was an old man, the other was a girl, no older than seven. The girl had a simple red kimono and yellow obi. Her midnight black hair framed her small face.

"Listen well, little one." The old man said, not taking his eyes off of the noblewoman. "The Fon house has always protected those of the Shihoin, and you will as well." The little girl looked at the older man, surprise on her face. "That is lady Shihoin Yoruichi, the heir to the Shihoin clan. I have met her once, and she will make a great leader one day. Her guard, the man in blue, his name is Tsukabishi Tessai. He may be strong but I will not have the daughter of one of the few surviving Shihoin from the war not be protected by one of our own. Is that understood?"

"Hai, Jiji-sama." The girl replied, looking back to the now named Yoruichi in a new light.

The old man nodded. "For this mission, you have three rules you must always follow to the dot. One, be ready to protect Yoruichi with your life. Two, if she ever leaves for a mission or otherwise, never leave her side. Three, never disobey a direct order from her. Do you understand?" The girl nodded. "Good. You will no longer be known as Shaolin Fon. From this moment on, you are now Soi Fon, the same codename your great-grandmother used."

"Hai, Jiji-sama." The newly named Soi Fon said. _"I will make you proud, Yoruichi-sama."_

Elsewhere, two more people were watching the noblewoman pass. Again it was a male and a female, this time both with blond hair, a color that is, again, common to Kumo. The man's blond hair was very long, reaching down to his lower back. His brown eyes showed a look that could either be taken as annoyance or boredom. The woman's hair stopped just below her chin, being longer in the front and shorter in the back. Her blue eyes held a calculating gaze and a small, seemingly permanent frown adorned her lips. Her body was that any woman would kill for, easily comparable to that of the legendary healer and Sanin, Tsunade.

"What are you doing here, Shinji-san?" Asked the woman, looking away from where Yoruichi was seen in the distance to the man beside her.

The man sighed, showing his upper teeth in an odd expression. "Trying to get away from that annoying half-sister of yours. Though that Yoruichi is my first love." Normally the last sentence would get him a strange look, but if you knew Shinji then you would know that is how he calls any girl he thinks is cute.

"I did not know that you were trying to hide from Yugito-nee-san." Said the woman.

"I said _half_-sister, Samui." Shinji said again, slightly annoyed. "I have nothing against you, Yugito, or any other _Nii_ women. But that damn half-sister of yours will never leave me alone."

Samui looked to be about to respond when she turned and looked to something behind Shinji. "Then you might want to duck, Shinji-san."

"Huh? Why?" The man asked, turning around, only to be met with a foot. His face seemed to cave-in as the kick met it's target. He was thrown back, right over the ledge he was previously leaning on, and falling five stories to the streets below.

"I said duck, not turn around." Samui said, as if the man could still hear her. "Why did you do that, Hiyori-nee-san?" She asked, turning to the rather short girl that just kicked Shinji, possibly sending him to his death.

The girl also had blond hair, kept up in two pigtails and brown eyes that showed her anger. "I heard what that bastard said about me!" Hiyori yelled out.

Samui sighed. _"Why is she always like this?"_

* * *

Elsewhere, in an unnamed country, the Hidden Village in a Waterfall, Takigakure no Sato, we find a new person. Her name is Fu, Jinchuriki of the Nanabi no Kabutomushi, the Seven-Tailed Horned Beetle. She had mint-green hair and hypnotizing orange eyes. She wore a white shirt and skirt combo that showed her stomach and fishnet armor as an undershirt and pants. On her back was a large cylindrical object about as half as tall as she is, held in place by two red straps that crossed over her chest. A clip, orange like her eyes, held her hair back from her face. White arm coverings went from the wrists of each hand to past her elbows. A Taki headband was tied around her right bicep. Her face was marred with a deep frown, anger seen in her eyes.

"What the hell does that bastard Suien what me out here for anyway?" She hissed out. To put it bluntly, Fu hated Suien, along with his team, his family, his village, and his species. She hated humanity, period. It was the reason she was not loyal to the village, and the reason she would not leave. She would not trust the people here, but she would not go and look for somewhere else to live, you can only trust yourself.

Here she was, outside of the leader's office. Suien, a Jonin, had asked her to come here, for what reason, she did not know. She had arrived early, as she did with most things, not wanting to have to go through the village streets, where she was openly glared at. The leader of this small village was a boy, no older than Fu, named Shibuki. He had little to no skill in the ninja arts and was only named leader after his father had died. She was pacing in front of the door, waiting to be called inside.

"Are you sure that there is no other way, Suien?" Came the voice of Shibuki from behind the door. Fu stopped pacing and looked around. The room was empty. She walked closer to the door to hear the conversation.

"Yes, she is a loose cannon, sir." Replied Suien, only increasing Fu's confusion. "I'm afraid to say that she holds no loyalty to us, but her power is a necessity."

"_Who are they talking about?"_ Fu wondered, though she already had an idea. _"It's not me… Is it?"_

Someone, probably Shibuki, sighed loudly. "Very well, I wish that there was some other way but the safety of the village comes first." He sighed again. "You told her to come here, correct?" There was no sound, Suien probably just nodded. "Then I will call our seal master, when Fu arrives, we will sedate her and extract the Nanabi for a new host."

Fu's eyes widened and she froze, unable to move from the shock. Of the little information that she knew about Jinchuriki, one of the most important things was that if the Bijuu was extracted, the host dies.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Yelled someone. Fu turned to see a Taki Jonin looking at her.

"What's the racket?" Shibuki could be heard before he opened the door, instantly seeing Fu. He looked confused for a moment before he saw her shocked and panicked face, his own eyes widening. "She heard." He muttered. Fu then turned and sprinted past the Jonin, knocking Shibuki out of his stupor. "STOP HER!"

But it was too late, Fu ran as fast as she could and jumped, crossing her arms in front of her face as she smashed through the window of the room. The glass shards cut her flesh, making her hiss in pain as she fell to the ground. The second she hit the ground, she took off, sprinting down the streets, the civilians moving aside.

"STOP HER!" Shibuki called again, soon followed by multitudes of ninjas chasing after her.

Her legs screamed in protest as she pushed past her limits, this is why she hated humans. She would not die, not for some stupid reason like this. She was not looking where she was going, which turned out to be a bad mistake as she suddenly found herself surrounded.

"Just give up now, Fu." Turning to the voice, she hissed as it was Suien that had spoken. "You don't stand a chance against all of us."

Fu growled, he was right, there were at least thirty ninjas, all Jonin, surrounding her, and she was tired from her run. Normally a Jinchuriki could make it out of a situation like this as soon as their Bijuu decided enough was enough, but Fu had no ability whatsoever in controlling or even accessing the Nanabi's Chakra. That still did not mean that she would give up. If anything she would go down fighting until her last breath. Just as she was about to reach for the cylindrical object on her back, a voice spoke up from nowhere.

"Do you wish to live, child?" Apparently the surrounding ninjas heard it as well, as they were whipping their heads around, trying to find the voice. "If you wish to survive** then you will have to leave this place for good."** The voice started the same, but turned into a much deeper and darker sounding one. **"We can get you out of here** if you want us to."

"GET HER NOW!" Suien shouted as the ninja charged.

"What is **your choice, child?"**

Time seemed to slow for Fu to an impossible level, her brain working a mile a minute. Gripping her fists tightly and closing her eyes, she shouted as loud as she could, just before the ninja reached her.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

And she only knew darkness. To the ninjas charging, it looked as if a giant venus flytrap sprouted from the ground and ate her up.

* * *

Over in Kawa no Kuni, River Country, we will find another meeting. While there is a ninja village in this country, the Village Hidden in a Valley, Tanigakure no Sato, this is not where we're going to look. We are stopping at a small dirt path that ran through a section of rice fields. On this path we see a single man standing, waiting for something or someone.

He was an older man, his long black hair was well kept. He wore a black robe and pure white scarf, despite that it was quite hot this time of year. In his hair he had two kenseikan, headpieces worn by nobles. One was on the top of his head, the other resting just above his right ear. His face had a stoic expression and he did not seem to mind the sun.

He had not been waiting for long when two individuals could be seen on the same path, walking towards him. Both were male. The younger one wore a white hakama with black trim. His skin was pale and his hair was shoulder length dull red. His hair covered his right eye, only showing his left. The visible eye would scare grown men just by looking at it. The entire eye, sclera and all, were a strange purple, rings circling the pupil in a ripple-like pattern.

The second man was much older, ancient compared to how long most live. He wore a black hakama and black kosode with a white sash around his waist. A white haori with a row of black rhombuses lining the bottom was draped over his shoulders. He had no hair on top of his head but his white beard reached to his knees, tied in a cross pattern with purple fabric. His mustache and eyebrows were also very long and white as well. He had a prominent X shaped scar on his forehead. In his hand was a walking stick that seemed expertly carved from brown wood. The two men stopped a talking distance away from the noble looking man.

"So, you did come." Said the nobleman.

"Of course we did." Said the elderly man. "I believe that we are not acquainted. You may call me Yamamoto."

The slight widening of the nobleman's eyes was the only sign of surprise that he showed. "The famous fire user who disappeared some time ago?"

"The same." Said the man with demonic looking eyes. "My name is Nagato."

The nobleman was silent for a moment before speaking. "Byakuya."

Yamamoto nodded. "I understand that there is someone you want us to find?"

"That is correct." Said the nobleman. "My wife has recently passed away and she told me to find her younger sister, who she had abandoned before I knew her. I do not know her name but from what I understand she looks identical to my late wife."

"Do you have a picture?" Nagato asked. Byakuya nodded and handed the man a picture of a black-haired woman smiling at the camera, a body of water visible in the background. After looking it over and committing the face to memory, Nagato handed the picture back to the noble man. "I will get right on it." He then turned and left the way he had came.

After Nagato was several feet away, Byakuya spoke again. "Now, what was it that you wanted from me?" He asked Yamamoto.

The elderly man was silent for a moment. "You have nowhere to go, correct?"

"The rest of my clan would not let me search for my late wife's sister, so I left them, permanently."

Yamamoto nodded as if he had already known that. "Then what I want from you is to join our cause."

Byakuya looked skeptical. "Join you?"

"Yes." Yamamoto said as he reached into his haori, grabbing something. "I am the leader of one of two organizations, Nagato leading the other." He then pulled out a folded bundle of fabric and held it out. "For now we are small in numbers, but large in power. Nagato will try and convince the girl to join as well. If you both do, then you could work together very often."

Byakuya took the bundle of fabric from the old man's hands. Unfolding it, he saw it to be a white haori with a row of black rhombuses, much like the one Yamamoto was wearing, with the kanji for Six on the back.

"What is it that this organization of yours does?"

* * *

Over in Rice Field Country, Ta no Kuni, we find someone familiar. Ulquiorra walked through the halls of the Village Hidden in Sound, Otogakure no Sato. He had quickly infiltrated the new village upon his arrival, and no one suspected a thing. This was supposed to be a normal day, keyword being supposed.

An explosion rocked the bunker and sirens went off. All the ninja began running towards the source of the explosion. Playing his part, Ulquiorra followed. By the time he had arrived, the entire wave of Oto-nin had been killed off. Standing it what used to be a room, the ceiling now blown off, stood a single man.

The intruder looked to be in his late teens. He had long hair, a dull black in color, was tied in a ponytail that ran down his back. He had a stern look on his face with pronounced tear troughs under his eyes. His eyes were blood red with three comma-like marks circling the pupils. In his hand was a katana in one hand, the blade covered in blood. With an almost careless flick, he cleaned the blade.

"Itachi-san!" Came a voice from a hallway. The owner soon came out, showing to be a girl with long dark hair and bandages wrapped around one of her arms, neck, and face. Another girl and a boy then followed her. The second girl had the same color hair as the first and kept it in a long braid. The boy had a tanned completion with spiky orange hair and red eyes. He was panting heavily and being supported by the two girls. "We found him, Itachi-san." The first girl called to the man standing in the carnage filled room.

But the man with the sword, Itachi, was not even looking in their direction. Instead he was looking at Ulquiorra, who had not moved from his spot. The green-eyed spy stared right back. When the two girls carried the orange haired boy over to Itachi, they followed his line of sight and saw Ulquiorra. The bandaged one gasped while the other showed no sign she thought anything.

After a moment of tense silence, the group of four staring at the pale teenager, Ulquiorra starring right back, Itachi finally spoke. "You're one of Danzo's, aren't you?" Ulquiorra's eyes widened ever so slightly, but that was all that Itachi needed as a confirmation. "I though so, that emotionless look of yours gives it away."

"Why does it matter to you, Uchiha Itachi." Ulquiorra replied.

"Nothing at all." The Uchiha replied, sheathing his blade into the scabbard on his waist. "But I've always been curious as to why you would work for the war hawk."

"Explain." The green-eyed spy demanded, not understanding the traitor's thoughts.

"He trains you in the cruelest ways I've ever seen. By the end of it you can't even call yourself human anymore, as you lack the one things that make us what we are." Itachi replied. "You are missing what everyone should have. You have emotions. You have no soul."

"Soul, you say?" Ulquiorra spoke again, actually seeming insulted by what Itachi had said. "People like you are always so quick to speak of such things. As though you can carry your soul in the very palms of your hands. But it is the eye that perceives all. If the eye cannot see a thing, then it does not exist. This is the assumption under which I have always fought."

"Maybe you just aren't looking hard enough." Itachi said, actually surprising Ulquiorra that he would answer so quickly. "You cannot see someone's soul, I know that much. If you were to tear open my chest, you would not see it. If you were to smash open this skull of mine, it would not become visible. But despite this, I still believe that a person's soul exist."

The spy's eyes furrowed in confusion. "Why do you believe this?"

"Simple." Itachi replied. It would seem that he had forgotten the three others in the room. "Can you see the air that we breathe? Can you see the life that we live? Can you see the consciousness that we use?" He would have continued, but the sound of more Oto-nin coming down the hallway. "It would seem that our time is up, to bad. That one of the best arguments I've had in a long time." Itachi then turned to the other three. "Nemu, Isaribi, hand him to me." The two girls did so and Itachi placed the orange hair boy over his shoulder. "We should go."

The Uchiha then jumped through the hole in the ceiling, followed closely by Nemu and Isaribi. It was then that Ulquiorra took notice of the Uchiha's clothes. He wore a black hakama, his sword held to his waist by a white obi. Over his shoulders was a white haori, somehow staying in place even though the man did not have his arms through the sleeves. As Itachi turned away, Ulquiorra saw the kanji for Five on the back of the haori.

Itachi gone and the Oto-nin approaching, Ulquiorra made a decision that he was trained never to do, he left.

"Show this soul of yours, Uchiha."

* * *

Every person who you have seen will play a huge role in the years to come. But, if every major event has to be started with one detail of utmost importance, then it has yet to happen. The people you have seen will lead a change in this world, and the trigger that will give them the power to do so will be one Uzumaki Naruto.

He is the trigger, and this is his story.

From Oni Shin's challenge.

All the characters from **Bleach** are put into the world of **Naruto**. Where the Gotei 13 are in the elemental nations.

First chapter is very long and just sets up the relationships between various **Bleach** and **Naruto** characters. I'd like to think that I did a good job with being creative, but I guess it's up to you in the end.

Read & review


	2. Scroll of Mito

**AN:** Christmas Eve Update, Yeah!

Okay, I tried to make this chapter good, but there's a lot of information and might get boring for most/all of the people reading it, I just hope not.

For all those who care I'm going on a week long vacation without my computer so I won't be updating anything for a while.

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**Scroll of Mito**

Within the walls of Konohagakure no Sato, inside an apartment building, top floor, we find a boy of the age of twelve. This boy was Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konoha and Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Though the boy himself only knew the latter for about a month now. He was called many things by people both inside and out of his home village, the most common three being "Most Unpredictable Ninja", "Brat", and "Idiot", but were they true?

"Most Unpredictable Ninja" was given to him by his Jonin sensei, Hatake Kakashi on a mission to Nami no Kuni (Wave Country), during the battle against a man named Kurosuki Raiga. Naruto actually prided himself in this name and felt it fit him well, being derived from how the other two name fit him.

"Brat", as various people have called him was half true. Was he childish? Very much so. Did he do childish things, like say, painting his village monument? Of course. Was he arrogant in any way shape or form or do his pranks with the intent to hurt someone? No.

"Idiot", was also half true. Did he do stupid things? Yes. Did he think about what he was doing before he did it? Not usually. If he truly tried was there anything he could not figure out? Probably not. If he knew enough could he plan ahead enough that some might think he was a Nara? Yes, in fact he could. Did he have a high IQ? Yes, on par with Shikamaru, who was a Nara by coincidence. Did he have brain damage? Unconfirmed. Did he usually know enough that he could plan ahead like mentioned earlier? Almost never. Was he well informed, period? No.

So, put that together, and the comes together rather well, if chaotic. A boy who _could_ plan ahead, and does for certain things, usually only his pranks, and when he does there is never a chance for failure. While at the same time if he did not know enough to make a plan he would not bother looking and rush right in.

At times, Naruto wondered why he did not bother to usually look for more important things to make a plan.

"God fucking dammit!"

This right now possibly being the first time in his life he _did_ look for more things on what he was working on. It did not seem he wondered that much any more.

"Why the hell did the Yondaime have to be so damn good at seals?" He shouted once more, not that anyone heard him.

In truth, Naruto may have only learned that he had the Kyuubi sealed in him a month ago, but he had known for a long time that _something_ was in him, he just did not know what. To put the reasoning bluntly, it is kind of hard to not know that a living entity the size of a mountain was living inside of you. So, after the fight in Nami, where he had accidentally used the excess Chakra of the Kyuubi, he had decided that he would try and contact the beast and maybe talk things out. Problem was it was not exactly written down somewhere about how to make contact with the demon lord that was trapped in your gut. Not to mention, as Naruto had just yelled out, the Yondaime was a seal master for a reason. At first, Naruto was hoping to weaken the seal ever so slightly so that some of the Kyuubi's Chakra would enter his system and he could use it as a connection to the fox. Yes, Naruto knew seals. Turns out that so few are any good at it that nobody really tried to hide any knowledge on it, like they do for jutsu, and there was a whole section in the main library literally overflowing with scrolls on sealing that people had bought, could not hope to understand, and donated to the library. And, as it would just so happens, sealing made more sense to him then what could possibly be natural, much to the boy's confusion.

So here we find the boy, sitting in his apartment, shirtless. He had moved all of his furniture from the living room to another room and threw nearly a hundred different library scrolls on the art of sealing into the room. This was the only time he had bothered to check-out something from the library. The librarian had actually given him all the scrolls to keep in hopes of diminishing their humungous supply on the unread scrolls. He then had to carry all of the scrolls home by himself. Never before had he been so grateful of Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone). Normally he would have just left the scrolls at the library and forgot about them, but he was actually trying to accomplish his new goal. He never tried this hard for anything before, not even his pranks, and that was saying something.

"What the hell is this swirl supposed to mean?"

Anyway, Naruto sat in his now cleared living room with no shirt. Opened scrolls were thrown everywhere and he was constantly channeling Chakra to his stomach to get a good look at the seal that held the Kyuubi, not that it was helping. The swirl in the middle of the seal was not seen anywhere else in any of the scrolls he looked through. Fuinjutsu was normally written with complex and kanji-looking designs, not a perfect swirl. You would think that something that was strong enough to hold the soul and energy of a demon lord was something that one would write down, but apparently not. There was a possibility that the Yondaime had designed the swirl himself, but he would have had to base it off of an already existing seal, as it was far too powerful to just make up on the fly. There was also the possibility that he just drew the swirl on Naruto for the hell of it with it having no point in the seal in any way, but that was unlikely as Naruto was able to decode every other seal on his stomach and not a single one was a storage seal for a living entity. There was one that held a small amount of Chakra, from two unknown beings to be exact, but nowhere near enough to be that of the Bijuu, thus meaning that the swirl was actually the storage mechanism and the most important part about what Naruto needed for his little project, and it was the only part that he had no idea how it worked.

After another long string of curses, Naruto threw the scroll he just finished looking through into one of the many piles that lined the walls. That scroll was one of very advanced Fuinjutsu, and it did not hold a thing about anything even resembling the swirl. With a sigh, the blond looked around the room, only to see that he had read through all the scrolls he had. With another sigh he stood up and picked up his jacket.

"Looks like it's back to the library." He muttered as he turned to leave, only to hear a dull thud. Looking down he saw an old looking scroll on the ground. He looked at it a moment, wondering where it fell from. Then it hit him, he had picked out that scroll at the library and put it in his jacket pocket. "But then why did it fall out?" He put his hand into the same pocket, only for it to come out a hole in the bottom. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I need to get that fixed sometime soon." Looking back at the scroll that was still on the floor, he contemplated reading it or just burning it with the rest of the annoying pieces of parchments throughout the room. "… Eh, might as well read it."

Putting his jacket back on his coat hanger, he sat back down with the old scroll in his lap, the really old scroll that is. The paper was dulled with age and the words on the front were barely legible, not that Naruto tried to read it mind you. Unrolling the scroll rather roughly, not caring if it ripped, Naruto scanned through its contents.

"Let's see what disappointments we have in here." He said sarcastically, he really had to stop talking to himself. "Um… High Grade Explosion Notes, no. Chakra Key, what? Senbon Trap, nope. Grand Storage, not quite. Paint Bombs, no… I might save that one for later. Soul Separating, do I even want to know what that is? Soul Survival Increase, what's with all this soul crap? Durability Enhancer, helpful, but no. Demon Sealing Swirl, nope. Tattoo Remover, as if that could ever be-… Wait… What was that last one?"

Looking back, the young blonde read over the name again. He blinked once, twice, three times, and snapped.

"… It's here."

Okay maybe not quite snapped.

"IT'S ACTUALLY HERE!"

Scratch that, he snapped.

_Demon Sealing Swirl: S-Rank Forbidden Fuinjutsu._

_Requires large amount of energy and can only hold large and powerful beings, mostly used for Demons. If the sealed being is to small then the seal will become unstable and not work. If sealed in an inanimate object the sealed being will be unable to have any power and enter a coma-like state unless proper seals are put in place to do otherwise, Chakra Key recommended. If wished to be used on living being, human is recommended as most animals have weaker minds and will die, thus resulting in the release of sealed being. To safely seal in human, use with powerful security type seal, Four Symbols Seal recommended. If security seals are not placed or are to weak then unpleasant side effects will be placed on living host, most common ones being insomnia and being driven mad. Should living host die or inanimate object with seal written on breaks, all seals, including security seals, relating to Demon Sealing Swirl will break and sealed being will escape. Do not use on corpse, as they have no life energy to sustain the seal and no solid structure of an inanimate object to keep seal intact._

_Warning: Amount of Chakra needed for seal to be made requires multiple high-leveled Chakra people and would kill any single person trying before they completed it, no other means known._

_To edit, remove, or weaken seal will require a key made at same time as sealing. If key is not made then seal cannot be edited._

Naruto smiled throughout the reading, only for it to slip into a frown at the last line. "It needs a damn key?" Naruto groaned out. _"And I was so close, too."_ He miserably thought. There was very little chance that the Yondaime actually made a key, and even if he did there was no way Naruto could get his hands on it. He let out a chuckle as he read back the warning. "'No other means known', huh? Yeah right, like the Yondaime had a couple dozen high-Chakra people nearby as a giant demon was attacking. He must have really been a genius to figure something else out though, even if it killed him, wonder what it was."

Shaking his head to rid of the off-track thoughts, Naruto began working things out in his head, a look of concentration adorning his face. "I can't weaken the seal, so that's out." Naruto said out loud, he really had to stop talking to himself. He then got up and started to pace back and forth, the scroll on the ground. "I could go into another near-death situation like in Nami… nah, that won't work. Even if I jump off a cliff or something to get the reaction, there would be no way so save myself even with the extra boost, not to mention I would be on such a Chakra-high that I couldn't focus enough to find the Kyuubi." He started pulling his hair in annoyance. "If only I could bring it out here to talk, but an extraction would kill me. Maybe if I leave behind the energy and only take out the Kyuubi's mind, but that would still put a huge strain on me, might even cripple me. Oh well, it's not like there's any kind of technique that could separate its soul from mine, and there's defiantly not one to make it… easier… for me… to… survive." He trailed off as he stopped pacing and looked back at the scroll on the ground. A minute of silence passed before spoke. "I think I'm in love with this scroll."

_Soul Separating: S-Rank Forbidden Fuinjutsu_

_A very dangerous sealing technique that will split one's soul in two, removing one of the parts from the user's body. The part of the now split soul that is removed will have no physical form and must be sealed into an inanimate object, corpses and animals will not work. If the user has another soul sealed within their body then the less dominate one will be removed, along with half of the user's soul and combined into one, but will still have the need to be sealed. This technique is very dangerous and only thirty percent of people who have used it survive, out of those thirty percent only five percent gain the actual benefits of this technique, the other twenty-five percent lose their mind and become cannibalistic. These monsters are called Hollows and it is recommended to kill them on sight._

_The strain on one's soul from using this technique is so great that it literally forces your soul to create its own energy in order to survive. If their soul cannot create enough energy then their soul will collapse, resulting the user's death. If the soul can produce enough energy, but their mind is too weak to handle it then they will become a Hollow. This energy has been dubbed Reiryoku (Spiritual Energy) and it is not unlike Chakra in many ways but it cannot be directly channeled. With practice, one can use the excess pressure given off by this internal energy, which has been dubbed Reiatsu. Hollows too can use Reiatsu but only to a minimal level. It is said that one can regain their consciousness after becoming a Hollow but this is unconfirmed. It is also said that someone had once been 'cured' by unknown means during the Hollowfication process by unknown means but the means are, once again, unconfirmed._

A picture of seal was given beneath of the description. Naruto wondered why this scroll, which he found in a public library, contained S-rank Forbidden techniques, not that he was complaining. But he pushed those thoughts away, it was time for planning.

"Okay, how to do… I'm speaking out loud again, aren't I?... Screw it." Naruto then put the scroll beside him and lay down on the ground, staring at the ceiling as he contemplated what to do. "If I do go through this then I'll need something to put the Kyuubi's soul into, and a way to seal it. Unfortunately the only thing strong enough to hold the soul of a Bijuu is the same one that's holding the Kyuubi back right now, the Demon Sealing Swirl, but I think I have a way around using that and not dying or getting other people to help." He turned to the side and glanced out the window, seeing the night sky. Letting out a yawn as he realized how late it was. "I'll worry about it tomorrow."

And with that, the blonde went to bed.

* * *

This infamous scroll, one that had been thought to have disappeared long ago, was now in the possession of a childish blonde. If Naruto had bothered to try and read the barely legible kanji on the aged paper he would have seen a name, the name of the one who wrote the sealing techniques. The name is Uzumaki Mito, one of the last survivors of the legendary sealers that were the Uzumaki Clan. She had begun writing the scroll at a very young age, which is why a few were relatively simple seals like Senbon traps, and created every technique in it, all two dozen of them.

She had given it to her husband, the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama, who used the Shisho Fuin (Four Symbols Seal)technique it to seal the Kyuubi into Mito. It was then given to Hashirama's brother and successor, Senju Tobirama, who used its techniques to create the legendary Raijin no Ken (Sword of the Thunder God). Tobirama then gave it to his successor and student, Sarutobi Hiruzen, who used it for his summon, the Monkey King Enma, for his Henge Kongonyoi (Transformation: Adamantine Staff). Such seals were needed as is impossible to transform into a physical object. It was then given to the next Hokage, Namikaze Minato, who used it for not only sealing the Kyuubi once more, but also for his Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying God of Thunder Technique), the Hakke no Fuin Shiki (Eight Trigrams Sealing Style) that he used as security for the sealing of the Kyuubi and made from two Shinsho Fuin (Four Symbols Seal), he then used the techniques in the scroll to create the Shiki Fujin (Dead Demon Consuming Seal) to summon the Shinigami itself, which gave him the power to seal the Kyuubi, as he did not have the ability to weaken the demon like Hashirama. Minato also created the Jikukan Kekkai (Space-Time Barrier) and Keiyaku Fuin (Contract Seal)along with many others. But alas, Minato never had the chance to name his successor, so the "Scroll of Mito", as it had come to be known as, was lost to wherever the Yondaime had left it before he went to his death.

Now the only question was how Naruto had found this infamous scroll? It could have been to luck that he decided to suddenly take up sealing and cleaned the library out, but he was practically born lucky so that was not the question. The _real _question was, with this sacred scroll no doubt being locked up in some safe that only the Yondaime would dare place it, being only for the eyes of the Hokage. Just _who_ had found it and removed it from its hiding place, and even more importantly, why had that person put in a public library?

* * *

Over in Kumogakure no Sato, on the save night, a girl was in the office of the Raikage. She was none other than Shihoin Yoruichi, age eleven, no shinobi rank. She stood in front of the bulky man that was the Raikage with an emotionless face that only a noble could have. The heiress was garbed in royal robes and stood with her arms crossed and tucked into her sleeves, taking the same posture that she had three years ago on the bridge with the many people watching.

"You asked for me, Raikage-sama." The girl said to the much large man.

"Yes." The man said, leaning back in his rather comfortable chair. "The Chunin exams are starting soon, this time in Konoha of all places." He let out a sigh. "With what my predecessor, the Sandaime, had done with the Hyuuga incident it will be very unlikely that we will be welcomed with open arms."

"Why is it that you wish to join this year's Chunin Exams, Raikage-sama?" Yoruichi asked, not showing any reaction to the news.

"We have many fine Genin this year, such as my brother's team, and they deserve to become Chunin as soon as possible." The Raikage then stood from his chair and walked to the large bay window of his office, gazing out at the village. "I wish to send a someone to have a peace talk with the Hokage, but not a large party like the Sandaime Raikage had done. I will be sending a single team to guard the negotiator."

"Me." Yoruichi said, it was not a question. She still showed no reaction, as if she had expected as much far ahead of time. "You want me to bring us to peaceful terms with Konoha." The Raikage nodded, not looking at the girl who seemed far too mature for her age. "I wish for my guard, Tsukabishi Tessai to come as well."

The Raikage nodded once more, then seemed to grow uncomfortable. "Very well… But one other person has, um, _volunteered_ to also guard you." He stressed 'volunteered', it only took a moment for the young noble to understand what he was getting at.

Her eye twitched slightly, the only thing she had done to break her emotionless figure. "Soi Fon." Again, it was not a question.

"Hai." The Raikage nodded. "How long will it take for you to reach Konoha?" He spoke, changing the subject.

"As I can only travel at a civilian's pace it would take three days if we hurry and not run into any obstacles."

With yet another nod the man spoke once more. "That is reasonable, you are to leave tomorrow."

Yoruichi bowed. "At your leave, Raikage-sama." Turning swiftly, the young noble left the room, closing the door behind her. Not pausing at all, she turned and walked down the hallway to the tower's exit. "Tessai-san, we are leaving." She spoke as soon as she entered the lobby.

"Very well." The man, Tessai, now at the age of fourteen, walked over to Yoruichi, not having taken a seat as his charge was talking with the village leader. "What is it he wanted you for, Yoruichi-sama, he-" He was silenced by a glare from the young girl. "My apologies, Yoruichi. Old habits die hard."

The girl let out a sigh, turning forward to look where she was going. "It's okay, Tessai-san, but please refrain from calling be _sama_." She spit out the suffix with venom. "He wants me to go to Konoha for a peace talk and convince them to let us participate in the Chunin Exams." Her face was marred into a scowl, seeming to be the exact opposite person as to when she was speaking with the Raikage.

"You seemed angered with something." Tessai state the obvious as they exited the building and into the cold night. "Am I not allowed to come with?" He asked, it would explain her anger, as he was the only thing she had even close to a friend.

Yoruichi laughed at that, once more appearing nothing like how she was acting just before. "If you couldn't come then I would have just refused. No. I am 'angered' because Soi Fon had volunteered to come as well."

"Ah."

Yoruichi let out a sigh, her anger fading away. "That girl has got to stop being over protecting."

"In her defense, she does not know that you can fight, Yoruichi." Tessai said.

"That's not very convincing, Tessai-san, only you know that I can fight." The girl said, then seemed to remember something. "Speaking of which, can we go train somewhere, I feel the need to break something." She said, a large cheshire smile adorning her face. "If only I could perfect my technique, there would be _much_ more destruction."

Tessai sighed. If anyone else saw Yoruichi right now they would assume it was an imposter. To everyone else, Yoruichi was a calm and completely emotionless girl with no ninja training and the last survivor to the Shihoin Clan. The few remaining members of the clan who had survived the war had all slowly been killed on missions over the years. As such, Yoruichi was not allowed to become a Kunoichi or even learn anything of the ninja way so she would not have to go on missions and risk being killed, and thus the extinction of the Shihoin Clan. That was her public face. To her friend, sadly was only Tessai could be called such as she was not allowed around anyone beside her guards, she was a mischief young girl who could run circles around any Genin and even a few Chunin without any resistance. She would even go purposely destroy things just for the hell of it, just for a little flare in her boring life. Tessai had trained her, becoming her only friend in the process. Unfortunately, being a Ninjutsu specialist himself while the purpled hair girl had not want to learn the art, limited what he could teach her. She hated Ninjutsu for a reason that she would not divulge to anyone, even Tessai and she had nowhere near enough control to be proficient in Genjutsu, leaving her with only Taijutsu. Tessai himself knew very little Taijutsu and could truly only teach her the academy level, but she took it to a whole new level.

The Shihoin clan was famous for being masters in the art of elemental manipulation, Yoruichi, being that of the royal branch and by extension pure blooded, was no different. Just after mastering tree walking she could channel lightning Chakra, as it was her affinity, all throughout her body better than most Jonin. The result was her reflexes, speed, power, and stamina being raised by an insurmountable degree. Even her deceased clan members never attempted anything as crazy as this, as it _should_ fry one's skin, muscles, and organs, killing them in a very painful way, but it did not do that for the young Yoruichi for some reason. While this was very similar to the current Raikage's Raiton no Yuri (Lightning Release Armor), for a girl no older than eleven to have created and almost mastered it was impressive.

"You should rest, Yoruichi." Tessai said, trying to be forceful. "If I know the Raikage then he told you to leave tomorrow. You should rest for the trip, it will be a long one with you traveling at a civilians pace."

The girl just waved off his concerns as they walked down the almost abandoned roads. "If I get tired then Soi Fon will practically order anyone else who comes with us to let me rest, so I have nothing to worry about."

"But the quicker we get there, the quicker we get back and the quicker you can continue your practice."

"…" The girl said nothing as she stopped in her tracks, Tessai stopping next to her. "Come on Tessai, I need to get home!" She said, borderline shouting as she was already running down the streets at a pace that she should not be able to reach, being the _civilian_ as she was. With a sigh, Tessai followed.

* * *

On an island within Sea Country, Umi no Kuni, we find two other Kumo ninja. One was Hirako Shinji, Kumo Jonin, the other was Sarugaki Hiyori, Kumo Chunin. And, despite Shinji now being her superior, she still showed him no respect whatsoever. The two were on a mission together to the distant country and they had just finished it.

"So, where we going now, Shinji-baka?" Hiyori questioned.

Shinji looked back at her with that strange frown that showed his upper teeth. "We're taking a boat to Hi no Kuni, that should take about six days, on the seventh day we'll be at the town Otafuku Gai where we will stay the night and then head out to Kumo."

"Why don't we just take a boat all the way to Kumo?" Hiyori asked, preparing to grab her sandal if she did not like the answer.

"In a week's time, a large festival will be held in Otafuku Gai, and I plan to be there." This resulted in a sandal to the back of the head for the Jonin. "Ow! What was that for?"

"That's a stupid reason!" She shouted.

"And?"

That resulted in another beating with a sandal, but they would still be stopping at the festival.

* * *

The same night in Mizu no Kuni, the Bloodline War was still raging on, as neither side seemed to be able to get the upper hand. At one of the more costal bases for the rebel forces we find one Terumi Mei, leader of the rebellion, along with two other familiar faces. Aikawa Love and Ushoda Hachigen, the latter better known simply as Hachi. The auburn-haired water goddess cleared her throat, getting the attention of the two men.

"Now, while the war is at as much of a stand-still as war can be, it may not be like that for long." Mei said, her voice laced with authority and seriousness with a slight hint of a seductive nature. "So, after much research and a little bit of luck, we found a group of people willing to help without asking too many questions. That boat over there-" She gestured to a medium sized cargo boat docked down the coast. "-Will take you to Nami no Kuni, where you will take a newly made bridge to the mainland and meet our contact for this group."

"How do we know that we can trust them, Terumi-dono?" Hachi asked, the large man bowing slightly a he usually did, no matter who he was talking with.

"At the moment, we don't." The woman answered rather bluntly. "But from what I understand, the contact will be alone and have some sort of bloodline, which I doubt would make them popular with Yagura." The large man nodded, not speaking again as Mei continued. "You are to meet the contact at midnight a week from now, so once you hit land you'll have to hurry to make it on time." The two nodded again and Mei gained a sad smile. "Be safe, and don't fail."

Love gave his leader a toothy grin. "Don't worry, Mei-sama. We'll be back before you know it."

His words seemed to erase the woman's worries. "Don't let our country down."

With that the two soldiers snuck onto the cargo ship with the crew being none the wiser. As the island country disappeared into the distance, the two stowaways standing in the crow's nest, Love finally realized something.

"Where are we meeting this person anyway?" The afro-headed man asked his partner.

Hachi thought for a moment, trying to recall the name. "Oh yes, Otafuku Gai."

* * *

The sun rose the next morning, waking Naruto from his rather peaceful and ramen related dream. Blinking tiredly the blonde yawned and stretched, sitting up on his futon. He had not changed out of his orange pants and shirtless attire he had the day before, nor did he bother changing it right now. Walking in a half-conscious state to the bathroom he began brushing his teeth. Afterwards he grabbed a comb. While he never did comb his hair before, with people always saying that he should he decided to start doing it just to have them stop complaining. Problem was his hair was so messy that the comb either got stuck or didn't do squat, but usually both. Today was such a day.

Naruto stared at the mirror, the image of himself with a large comb somehow suck in his hair showing. Being to tired to try and remove it at the moment, he just shrugged and let the bathroom. "Maybe I should just get a hat." He mused, when did he ever start talking to himself? Shrugging it off as well he put in a simple shirt, followed by his jacket. Glancing back at what was previously his living room, now littered with sealing scrolls. If he were going to get his plan to work he would need ink, and a lot of it. He sighed, it was going to be a pain to get a large amount of high-quality sealing ink, which would be needed for such a dangerous technique. Grabbing his frog shaped wallet/pouch, which he had named Gama-chan some time ago, and looked at his savings. If he bought necessary amount of ink at the highest quality, along with a hat, he would be dead broke, if not in dept.

Trying to think of quick ways to make money, but then thought of something. This was not the kind of thing you wanted everyone with Chakra to be able to use, so if he mixed the ink with his own blood then only he could use it. In doing so, it would also raise the quality of the ink, thus saving him money. He smiled as he realized he would not need to go and beg the Hokage for mo- err, find an honest working enviorment to get paid for. He grimaced as the amounts of blood he would need to give would annoying to say the least.

Making up his mind, he clipped Gama-chan to his waist, like a kunai pouch, and walked out the door, Idly pulling the comb free of his hair and putting it in his jacket pocket, not noticing it fell out of the already forgotten pocket hole.

The walk through the early-morning village was quiet. After about ten minutes walking he found the store he was looking for. It sold damn near everything, surprising considering how small it looked from the outside. Walking in, Naruto immediately went to the artist section, which held the ink he was looking for. Grabbing three water bottle sized containers of the medium-quality ink, he went to counter. "Hey." The blonde called, gaining the workers attention. "You have any good hats here?"

"What do you mean by good?" The young man asked back.

"Able to survive the life of an active shinobi and not stand out."

The man thought about it, nodding to himself. "What color?"

While Naruto did like orange, he felt he was growing out of that stage of his life, but then what color. Blue? No. Yellow? His hair was enough, thank you. Black maybe? No, to depressing for his personality. "… You got it in green?"

"I sure do." The man disappeared into the storage area, soon returning with the article of headgear. Handing it to Naruto, the blonde could feel that it was made out of quality leather, very durable. "Will this do?"

"Yes, it's fine." Naruto said with a nod. _"And if it isn't, then that's nothing a few Durability Enhancers won't fix."_ Putting the hat on his head and the inkbottles on the counter, he reached for Gama-chan. "I'll take it, along with this ink."

Paying for the products and leaving the store as the streets began to get populated, Naruto took off his hat and began inspecting it. _"Not usually my type of fashion, but it'll work."_ He then placed the green and white striped bucket hat back on his head and walked back home.

Little did he know that with the coming events in six days, that hat, along with a certain sword, will make him just as famous as the Yondaime Hokage, and just as strong.

And he would never reach that level if it were not for the Scroll of Mito.

He just would not reach that fame in the name he was born with.

* * *

In six day's time, in this gambling town of Otafuku Gai that we now visit, is when a group of individuals will meet for the first time and an enemy will be found. At this time, only one of those individuals was already in the town. It was a girl in her preteens with shoulder-length black hair. She wore a black kosode with a white shitagi barely visible underneath and black hakama pants, tied off with a white obi. Waraji sandals over white tabi socks donned her feet. She sat on one of the many roofs of the town, looking out to the people walking below.

"Great, Taicho told me to meet these people from Kiri and I'm six days early, what do I do now?" As if to answer her question, a rather ominous feeling crept up her spine, giving her a cold feeling. _"That wasn't pleasant."_ A shadow covered her form and she looked up to see a large cloud covering the sun. _"Now that's just weird, it's the dry season. Clouds that big shouldn't come this far inland."_

The cloud darkened greatly till it was an almost black, like one would see for a typhoon. There was a flash and clap of thunder, signaling a lightning storm. The people on the street, who had stopped what they were doing to look at the oddity as well, started to panic as a heavy rain fell, followed by fierce winds. The sky was perfectly clear a minute ago, now it looked as if Susanoo, the God of Storms himself, was trying to kill someone.

"_This cannot be natural."_

* * *

Naruto, who had just made it inside before the storm started, stared out his window, hat still on his head. "Damn…" That pretty much summed up his thoughts. "Oh well, not like I had to go outside for anything else today." A rather loud clap of thunder boomed through the village. "And thank Kami for that."

Turning back to his room littered with scrolls, he clapped his hands together. "Time to get to work."

Sitting down and grabbing a kunai from a desk, Naruto cut his thumb enough for it to bleed, hissing at the pain. Holding his now bleeding thumb over a large bowl filled with the ink he had bought, he let the two fluids mix. Once enough blood was mixed in that the ink took on a purple tint, he pulled his hand away and grabbed a brush.

"Now all I need is the array."

Opening the scroll he had come across yesterday, he once again paid no mind to the name barely legible name on the front as he opened it and looked for the Soul Separating seal array. It was an incredibly large pair of arrays, each of the two being more than ten feet in diameter and needing insane amounts of detail. They needed to be opposite of each other with one being on the ground, meaning the other goes on the ceiling above it. Looking back at the picture of the array in the scroll, no doubt written by someone with amazing handwriting, he dipped his brush in the ink/blood mixture and began drawing the seal.

Never once did he notice that his slowly healing thumb had left a small streak of blood on the scroll, nor did he see the small glow the blood seemed to emit before it disappeared.

* * *

Yoruichi, currently nearing the border of Yu no Kuni (Hot Springs Country) and Shimo no Kuni (Frost Country) scowled as she saw the large storm in the distance. _"That looks unpleasant."_ She noted, not saying it out loud to keep her emotionless appearance to the squad that was sent to escort her.

"Looks like a bad omen." Tessai noted from his spot to the noblewoman's right. "Should we stop and let the storm pass?"

Yoruichi sent the man a glare that the others did not see. "How are you certain that it will come this way or that it will not fade before we reach it?"

"I do not know, but this foreboding feeling does not make me wish to move on." The man replied, not seeming to take offense to the glare.

"Maybe he is right, Yoruichi-sama." Said Soi Fon from behind the girl, not noticing the twitch of the noble's eye. "We should avoid the storm, a day or so late will not effect the meeting too much."

Soi Fon was a sweet girl, just exceedingly overprotective of Yoruichi, who happened to be fast enough that not very many things out there that could keep up with her to need protection from. But like everyone else, sans Tessai, Soi Fon did not know the true Yoruichi, the one that also happens to hate being called _sama_.

"I have no fear of a little rain." The noblewoman replied neutrally. "And if I had a phobia of lightning I would most likely not be living in _Lightning_ Country, or the Village Hidden in the _Clouds_." Soi Fon nodded, though looked concerned, as if the purple-haired girl was in danger from the distant storm. _"Like hell weather can do anything to me, no matter how strong. Even if a damn tornado starts I can outrun it even on my worse day."_ Yoruichi held back a snort, only year upon year of hiding her true self keeping her from speaking out loud.

Shihoin Yoruichi, last of the once great Shihoin clan. Protected twenty-four-seven and given anything she could possibly need or want without so much as a single opposition. She had more influence over the village of Kumo than most others, being just below the Raikage himself on the proverbial measuring stick. She had the entire Fon clan, or what was left of them, willing to do anything to keep her unharmed. She could go anywhere she wanted and do anything she wanted with little to no resistance. She had what nearly everyone would ever want.

And she was miserable.

* * *

"No… Ayame-nee-chan, I don't need anymore… well, if you… insist." Naruto mumbled in his sleep. "Yes, your… sauce tastes very good." He then rolled over, a motion that would have caused him to fall off his bed if he was on it, but he was not.

After finishing the pair of seals for the Soul Separating, well past midnight, having run through half of a bottle of ink in correcting mistakes alone. It then took the rest of the first bottle and most of the second to finish the two it, along with a lot of Chakra to stick to the ceiling to draw on it, not that the latter bothered him. He then put his supplies away and collapsed, asleep before he hit the floor.

"Come on Ayame-nee-chan… keep it coming."

But what was he dreaming about? Ramen of course, what else did you think it was? Anyway, a few feet away from the sleeping blond, ironically with his new green and white hat on top of it, the scroll lay, giving a faint glow. The glow brightened suddenly and engulfed the whole room.

* * *

"W-What!" Naruto sat up and jumped to his feet, looking at his surrounding area, or lack there of. Everyway he looked was only a black void. He could feel a solid surface under his feet and could see himself clearly, but everything else was gone. "Where am I?"

"_You are within your mind."_ Came a strange echoing voice, getting a scream from the twelve-year-old. _"While this place has no specific name, it is the manifestation of your very conscious."_

"And who are you?"

"_I am the one who wrote the scroll you now possess."_ Naruto's eyes widened, whoever this person was, they were a genius in the art of sealing. _"Tell me, how did you reach the rank of Hokage at such a young age?"_

"Hokage?" The blonde questioned. Sure it had been his dream once, but much like his orange clothing he grew out of it. "I'm not Hokage, I'm only a Genin."

"_Genin?"_ The voice now sounded like it was shouting, scaring Naruto once more. _"How did a mere Genin come to possess my scroll? It was only to be passed down from Hokage to Hokage!"_

"I-I got it from the library."

"_LIBRARY?"_ Naruto stumbled back, falling on his ass on the invisible floor. _"WHY IN THE WORLD WAS IT IN A LIBRARY?"_

"I-I-I don't know."

"_What is your name, boy?"_ The voice asked, much quieter, though still angry sounding.

"Uh, U-Uzumaki Naruto."

"…"

"… Hello?" Naruto asked after a long moment of silence.

"_Who are your parents?"_ The voice suddenly asked, seeming at random.

"I don't know, I never met them." Naruto seemed dejected, as seen by his anguished face.

The voice was quiet as the blonde waited, his face still somewhat depressed. _"I do not know how my scroll ended up in a library, but if you are one of my kin then that explains how I could speak to you."_ The blonde's head snapped up at the work 'kin' but was cut off as the voice answered the obvious soon to be question. _"My name is Senju Mito, maiden name Uzumaki, wife of Senju Hashirama and Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune."_

Naruto blinked once, twice, three times. "… Huh?"

"_I began writing this scroll when I was very young, as evident of some of the more childish seals, and finished it just before my husband fought the Uchiha and sealed the Kyuubi within me."_

"Wait, how are you the Kyuubi Jinchuriki? I'm the Kyuubi Jinchuriki." Naruto then took off his shirt and channeled Chakra to his stomach. While slightly startled that he could do that here, it did cause the seal to appear. "See?"

There was silence once more as the disembodied voice seemed to focus on the seal, followed by a sigh, which sounded weird with the echoing effect. _"So, Kushina-chan has passed on as well, and I was so certain I felt her Chakra for a minute."_

"Who's Kushina?"

"_Uzumaki Kushina was a young girl from my clan when I met her. She had come to Konoha after her village was destroyed. As I was growing old, she was chosen to take the task of being the Jinchuriki for the fox. The extraction killed me as I never woke up once it began, and I assume that she had taken the role for me. While it may be possible for her to survive an extraction with our clan's blood in her, I was too old. I hope she lived a good life with that blonde kid that liked her."_

"What do you mean clan? What special blood do we have?" Naruto questioned immediately. "There was an Uzumaki clan?"

"_Yes."_ The voice that was Mito then grew sad. _"And by your question I can only guess that the clan is no more… I'm not quiet sure how to feel about that."_ Silence rained over again, and Naruto did not make any move to interrupt it, proving that what Mito thought was correct. _"Anyway, our clan possess a very long life span. I myself was alive during the founding of Konoha and lived through to the ruling of that Little Monkey, Hiruzen."_

"Well damn. Whatever happened to that Kushina lady, it couldn't have been to that long ago as Jiji is still Hokage, even though he's almost seventy, and the Kyuubi must have been freed at some point or another because it attacked Konoha almost thirteen years ago. The Yondaime stopped it and sealed it in me, but nobody ever told me it had been sealed in anyone before me."

"_But you just said that Hiruzen was still in office."_

"Whatever the Yondaime did, he did it well and it killed him." Naruto clarified. "He wasn't the Hokage for that long and never chose a successor."

"_So they reinstated the Little Monkey. Figures, he would get stuck with the job the longest. So, what are you using my scroll for, hopefully something better than just the Paint Bombs."_

"No, I'm doing something big." Naruto grew excited and was about to go into a very childish rant when he thought of something. "Why did you put Paint Bombs in there anyway?"

"_I was a prankster when I was younger, though it wasn't that surprising that I was."_

"Why's that?"

"_All Uzumaki are pranksters at heart, especially Kushina, she was far more energetic than most. And I cannot even begin to understand how she could have so much energy when she ate so many of those damn noodles. If she had any children I have no doubt that the addiction would be genetic, probably her attitude and verbal tic as well."_ Mito stopped rambling and got back on track. _"Anyway, what are you going to do?"_

Naruto got a big grin and a certain spark in his eyes. "I'm going to bring out the Kyuubi!" He said, borderline shouted.

"… _Huh?"_ Well they were definitely related.

"Yeah, I got this idea that, when extracting a Bijuu, it was probably the removal of the demonic and highly concentrated energy that kills the host. So, if I just remove the soul of the Kyuubi I can reseal it in something, a weapon would work the best. So I can then channel the energy that's still left in me through the weapon and use it to its full extent without it hurting me!"

"… _You are a genius."_

"Thank you."

"_But how are you going to do that? It could take years to develop a seal to work and it would still probably kill you. It's not like there's any kind of technique that could separate its soul from yours in my scroll, and there's defiantly not one to make it… easier… for you… to… survive."_

Yep, they are definitely related.

"_How did I never think of that?"_

"So you see how it will work?"

"_How far are you in drawing the array and what quality of ink are you using?"_

If possible, Naruto's smile grew. "I've finished with both the seal arrays for the Soul Separating and will be adding the seals for the Soul Survival Increase as soon as I wake up. The ink is low B, high C-Rank in quality-"

"_That's not good enough for something like this."_ Mito cut him off._ "You need-"_

"And I mixed in my own blood in a ink-to-blood ratio of three-to-one." Naruto cut her off this time, his smile never leaving his face.

If Mito was more than just a voice, she would have a perfectly identical grin on her own face, proving further that they were related. _"How much ink do you have left?"_ You could actually _hear_ her smile through the echo.

"A little more than twenty-five fluid ounces and plenty of brushes." His smile once again seemed to grow. "All I'm missing is something to seal the Kyuubi's soul into."

"_But how will you do that? Do you have a group of people to reseal it like I did for Kushina's sealing or a way to weaken it like my husband?"_

"Nope, but I thought of a way around that. If I seal it slowly, while at the same time extracting it so it has no chance of dissipating or escaping, I can use the Chakra I get from the Kyuubi to power the Demon Swirl Seal and do it myself."

Does his smile have no limit?

"… _Genius."_

Apparently no, as the smile grew more as he beamed at the compliment.

"_Naruto, I have no idea who your parents are, but they are missing out on raising the smartest person I've ever met."_

"Thank you, Mito-obaa-san." There was a flash of something and Naruto had a feeling of dread, but pushed it off. "I should go now and finish it." Already he was beginning to fade from his mind, his discarded shirt going first.

"_Very well, but I have a favor to ask."_ Mito said, seeming to be holding back a growl.

"What?" The blonde stopped fading with a curious expression and tilted his head to one side.

"_I feel that I can trust you so I must ask that you keep my scroll and never give it to anyone, got it?"_ Naruto nodded furiously. _"Also, the Soul Separating and Soul Survival Increase are very dangerous to leave laying around, just look to what happened to the populace of _Hinoko no Kuni_ when someone stole it form me and ran away experimenting with it."_

"Spark Country? Never heard of it."

"_Exactly. So don't leave the seals laying around. But as a user of Fuinjutsu you shouldn't just destroy the arrays. So, I request that you look though my scroll for the Array Storage technique, once you read the description you will understand what I want."_

"Don't worry Mito-obaa-san." Again that strange feeling, this time accompanied by what sounded like growling. But he brushed it aside and began to fade from his mind once more. "I'll get this down, even if it takes me a dozen bowls of ramen to stay awake, dattebayo!" He cheered out as he almost completely left his mind.

Mito realized many things at that last sentence. One, this kid, who did not know his parents, looked very much like that other blonde she knew liked Kushina. What was his name? Minato, that's it. Two, she had remembered the young redhead's own verbal tic was similar to what Naruto had just said, it only ended differently. And three, he liked ramen far to much then someone should, yet he stayed fit. That left only one conclusion.

"_Naruto, wait!"_

But it was too late, the blonde had already left and Mito would not be able to speak with him until he placed his blood on her scroll once more and he fell asleep near it. She probably should have told him that at some point.

"_Dammit!"_

* * *

Naruto sprung up, unaware of what he had been so close to learning. With a splitting grin, he reached for the scroll that he was so very glad he read instead of just burning. Placing his new hat on his head, making it shadow his eyes, and opening the scroll further, he found what he was looking for.

_Array Storage A-Rank Fuinjutsu_

_Used for extremely large seal arrays. Can store seal arrays into a much smaller form where they can still be used to their full extent. Once an array is sealed away, it cannot be edited, only destroyed. Useful to make large seals mobile for better use._

A simple idea, but not one he had run into before. The seal itself looked like an oddly shaped skull for some reason. Putting the scroll down, he went to the door and opened it, only to find that it was still raining.

"Wow, that's a lot of water. No stores will be open in this." So that only left one place to get a decent weapon to seal the Kyuubi into, the Forest of Death.

* * *

We once again go to Otafuku Gai, this time on the outskirts within the surrounding forest. We find two people, both men, standing in a clearing in the forest as the rain continued to fall.

"I don't see why I was called, I had to leave my team back at Konoha. And with the Chunin Exams coming up they need all the training they can get." Said one, who was somehow smoking despite the rain. "I no longer follow the Fire Daimyo."

"Be that as it may, Asuma-senpai, this is a troubling matter, and your father agreed for you to come." Said the other, rain dripping down his square-shaped glasses. "We truly have no idea what is causing all this."

"And you think I do?" The now named Asuma said, taking another drag of his cigarette before taking it out if his mouth. "This sounds more like something for Chiriku."

The other man sighed. Out of the two's outfits, the only thing in common was a loincloth with the kanji for 'Fire' on it, hanging from their belts. "He's a monk, not much better. The fact is that none of us know anything when it comes to this." He gestured to a pile of soaked clothing on the ground. From the amount of clothes it seemed like at least a dozen outfits, but no bodies around. "People are just up and disappearing, leaving only their clothes and we need to find out why."

Asuma breathed the smoke once again. "I'll talk to my father and some reliable people that I know, maybe they have an answer."

The other man gave him a kind smile. "That is good enough, Asuma-senpai. Say hi to that Kurenai lady for me."

Asuma stammered for a moment before regaining his composure. "What do you m-mean by that?"

"Nothing, Asuma-senpai, but do say hi."

"R-Right, Sosuke." With that, Asuma left.

After the man left the clearing, the now known as Sosuke sighed, though the smile never left his face. "This will be inconvenient now that Konoha knows of my projects." He said, seemingly to himself as he glanced back at the pile of clothing. "Kaname, did you have any luck with the Namikaze house?" A figure landed next to Sosuke, kneeling with its head down in a bow. It was a man with dark skin and long brown braided hair, clad in ANBU outfit and porcelain facemask with a cricket design etched on it.

"My apologies, Aizen-sama." The ANBU said. "The scroll was nowhere in the household. I found a safe hidden under the floorboards covered in trap seals, but they seemed to be turned off and the safe open. There was nothing inside."

"A pity, without the scroll we will have to continue to experiment as we have been." Aizen Sosuke replied, though it was hard to tell if he was truly annoyed, as his smile never wavered. He looked up at the still storming sky as a bolt of lightning flashed by. "It seems that even the gods are do not wish for us to succeed."

"Aizen-sama?"

"Nothing, Kaname, continue to search for the scroll."

"Hai." And the ANBU quickly disappeared.

Aizen Sosuke took off his glasses and wiped the water off with the corner of his shirt, still looking at the sky. The rain slicked his hair back and gave him a surprisingly new look.

"Where are you hiding, Mito?"

* * *

A shikomizue.

That was the weapon that Naruto found in the Forest of Death. While few ever went into the forest, those who did were usually too cocky and rarely came back at all, because if they died no one would bother to go get their body unless they were someone important. Naruto had been in their a few times, never going that far but always finding useful things laying around. This time, he found exactly what he was looking for, despite the rain.

A shikomizue, better known as a cane sword, as that is looked exactly like a cane when sheathed, with the handle of the cane being the handle of the blade.

"Alright, just a couple more seals needed. Kyuubi, you will soon be out of my gut, dattebayo!"

Little did Naruto know that the shikomizue, just like the green and white striped hat that was still on his head, would be what identified him a very dangerous and famous person later in his life. Whether it was in the distant or near future, we'll just have to wait to find out.


	3. She With No Name

**AN: **Well, I hate myself. I keep trying to set goals as to when I will finish a chapter and post it, but I am failing miserably. So, I will reassure you now and probably many times in the future, I will never _ever_ discontinue this or any other of my stories... hopefully. I have no intentions of doing so right now or anytime soon, but I (As much as I wish I could) cannot see the future, so I do not know for certain. I already have people threatening to kill me if I discontinue this... I'm not quite sure if that's a good thing or not.

I will update as soon as possible, which may not be soon at all, but it will be eventually.

A warning, in my opinion, I have no skills in writing whatsoever, but I have gotten over that. What I haven't gotten over is that, compared to all my writing skills (or lack there of) the worst would be romance, which this story will (try to) be, starting this chapter.

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**She With No Name**

"I wonder if this is going to hurt." Naruto mumbled to himself. "Well with my luck there's no question. Of course it will hurt."

The blond is currently lying on his living room floor, clad in nothing but his boxers. In his right hand was the unsheathed shikomizue he had found earlier that day. He lay in the center of the exceedingly large, and finished, seal array with another, just as large one on the ceiling directly over him.

"Let's just get this over with."

Holding the blade over him and parallel to the ground, Naruto channeled Chakra into his stomach area to make the Kyuubi's seal visible. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, he channeled more Chakra through his back and into the large seal, causing it to glow as it activated, the seal on the ceiling soon following it's example. Channeling more still Chakra into the blade, the previously invisible seals of the _Demon Sealing Swirl_ became visible along the length of the blade.

"Here I go, Fuinjutsu: Shikiru-Rei (Sealing Technique: Soul Separation)."

* * *

"So, this is where the festival will be taking place?" A man with wavy blonde hair stated to no one as he roamed the streets of Otafuku Gai. "It's in… six days, right?" He did not get an answer, but it did not seem to deter him. "Oh well, I know it's soon enough. We will see if anyone knows how to express the true art of music."

* * *

On the other side of town from the ex-Iwa-nin, we find the Shihoin heiress who has just arrived after a day and a half of travel, moving faster than expected.

"Yoruichi-sama." Twitch. "We have been walking for nearly two days without any rest, I think we should stay here for the day and rest." Soi Fon said to the noble, who was still able to hold her emotionless mask.

"Tessai-san." Yoruichi asked, getting the man's attention. "Are you too tired to continue moving?"

"Not at all, ma'am."

"Guards."

"Hai, Yoruichi-sama." The group of Kumo-nin said in unison, not noticing the twitch of the noble's eye.

"Do any of you require rest?" The Shihoin continued speaking, none of them stopping as they moved through town.

"No, ma'am." The leader of the squad said, speaking for the other three that made up his squad, who nodded in agreement with him. Soi Fon sent the men a glare, promising pain. Not relenting in the slightest, the young Fon member continued to argue.

"Yoruichi-sama, it is not myself or the others I am worried about." Yoruichi finally stopped walking, prompting the others to do the same, and turned her emotionless gaze onto the young girl, getting a small shiver in response.

"What are you signifying, Soi Fon-san?"

As hard as it was, Yoruichi was able to keep up her emotionless mask, but only barely. Even so, the icy glare that every noble, no matter when they were alive, was unmistakable in the heiress's eyes, and it scared Soi Fon like nothing else could. Gulping down the saliva that was forming in her mouth, Soi Fon managed to speak. "I am saying that we should find somewhere to rest, so that you will not be tired for the talking with the Hokage."

Yoruichi continued to stare at Soi Fon for what felt like an eternity to the poor girl. Finally breaking eye contact, the noblewoman looked forward, her face not changing in the slightest. "Very well, each of you go looking for a suitable state for temporary residence, Tessai-san will stay with me."

"Hai, Yoruichi-sama!" Soi Fon and the group of four stated in perfect unison, before they all disappeared in a burst of speed, missing the noble give out a tired sigh.

"How much longer will I have to keep pretending, Tessai?" Yoruichi asked, a sad look in her eyes as she slumped her shoulders. "It's times like these that I wish I could just leave everything behind."

"What do you mean, Yoruichi?" Tessai asked the girl, he had never seen her this miserable before. "What do you mean leave? Leave Kumo?"

"Yes, I would gladly leave the village if it meant I could freely be myself." The girl looks up as a breeze ruffles her chin-length hair. Tessai became alarmed. He knew that Yoruichi did not like being a noble, but to leave Kumo was a bit over the top. Before he could ask anything, she continued. "I overheard the Raikage talking once, I think it was with his advisors. They decided to marry me off when I get back from the negotiations in Konoha."

Tessai's eyes widened to a degree that should be impossible. "With who?" He practically shouted, something that was very uncommon of the man.

The heiress shook her head. "I heard the advisors say his name but I never met him before."

"Yoruichi, I-" He stopped talking abruptly and the young noblewoman stood straight, regaining her emotionless face. Moments later Soi Fon landed before then, down on one knee.

"Yoruichi-sama, we have found a suitable hotel to stay for the remainder of the day and night."

The noblewoman simply nodded, suppressing a twitch for once. "Lead the way."

* * *

"_Ugh, what hit me?"_

::Oi, what the hell were you thinking, jackass?::

"Huh, who said that?" Naruto sat up, whipping his head around the room for the owner of the voice, but no one was there. "Am I going crazy or something?" He could not help but ask, he really had to stop talking to himself. Wait, maybe by always talking to himself he was finally getting answered. "Dammit I really am going crazy!"

::That remains to be seen, but it is probably true with what you just tried.::

"Okay I give, who are you?" The blonde asked as he continued to look around for the owner of the rather gruff voice. "And are you choking on something 'cause you sound like you can't even breathe."

::Shut the hell up!:: The voice was then followed by a series of coughs. ::I'm just getting used to the new prison.::

"Prison? There's no prison here." Naruto continued to try and find the owner of the voice, but it almost sounded to be coming from inside his head. _"Maybe I really am going crazy. I _knew_ I should have stopped talking to myself."_

::What part of shut the hell up can't you understand?:: There was another series of coughs. ::You may be crazy, you may not. Personally, I don't give a damn.::

"Okay, to avoid a possible awkward situation, could you just tell me if you're a man or woman because I cannot tell with whatever it is that's stuck in your throat." Naruto had given up looking around and just sat there, still in the center of his seal.

::Dumbass, I am a physical manifestation of pure energy, I have no gender.::

"Well how was I supposed to know that?"

::You mean that you still haven't figure out what I am? Kami you're an idiot!::

"And you're a drama queen with all this bitching that you're doing. So can you just tell me who and where you are?" Naruto growled out, he did not like being called and idiot.

::Fine, stupid.:: Growl from the blonde and coughs from the voice. ::Look to your right… more… little more… there, stop. Okay, now look down… down… more… I said down dammit! There, stop. Can you see me now or do I have to explain it?::

The blonde just looked confused as he looked at the guided spot. "But, this is my sword."

::Well, technically it's the sword of whatever corpse you found it on, but they won't be needing it anytime soon so I guess it is yours.::

"Okay, if you are my sword and you can talk…"

::Keep going.::

"… and you are a being of energy and nothing else…"

::Almost there.::

"… Then you're the… KYUUBI!" Naruto screamed out the last part, chucking the sword away, where it hit the wall and clattered to the floor. "HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO TALK?"

::Did I not say shut the hell up?:: The voice, the Kyuubi, screamed back. ::And what do you mean 'how can I talk'? Wasn't that the reason you went through all the shit to get met out of your gut?:: It then went into another series of coughs.

Naruto was silent, thinking it over. "… Oh yeah."

::Dumbass. Why couldn't I be sealed in a smart person for once? Three times is _supposed_ to be the charm, but instead I'm still stuck with _another_ prank-obsessed Uzumaki! It couldn't be some calm Aburame, or a lazy Nara, hell I would even take a fatass Akamichi or stuck-up Hyuuga, but noooooo, I was resealed into a gad damn FUCKING UZUMAKI!::

"Will you stop your bitching already? Why are you such an annoying drama queen? I swear you could pass for being a woman with just the attitude."

::I SAID SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU FUCKING UZUMAKI! I have been stuck behind bars for the past one hundred god damn years, only getting momentary freedom when the bastard of an Uchiha let me out, only to be stuck in YOU! Now, I was ripped out, which is painful as hell I'll have you know, have all my power taken away, and stuck in a hunk of metal! Who do you think I am, the damn Ichibi? No, I AM THE KYUUBI, you little fucker! I beat the living crap out of the Ichibi on a daily fucking basis! His sand powers couldn't do shit against me! So, for the fifth, and FINAL time, listen to me for one Kami forsaken moment, and go fuck yourself as you SHUT! THE! HELL! UP! YOU! FUCKING! UZUMAKI! DUMBASS!::

Naruto could only blink, his mind blank, not taking his eyes away from the sword that just cursed more in a few sentences then he had ever heard in his entire life. Said blade was actually _panting_, seeming at a loss for breath from it's yelling. How a sword could actually breathe, he had no idea, but it was probably because it was the Kyuubi that had to breath and not the actual sword. _"Okay, he probably deserved to say that."_

::Damn… right I… did… dumbass.:: The Kyuubi said between its gasps for breath.

"So… how did that feel to get off you chest?" The blonde asked, truly to only see if the Bijuu had any more ways to curse. As such, he was not expecting the reaction.

::Very good in fact.:: The Kyuubi had finally stopped panting, and then coughed.

"… Wow, you even have mood swings, are you certain you aren't a woman?" Come on, anything that is thousands of years old has to have more ways to curse. So, once again, Naruto was not prepared for the reaction, and apparently neither was the Kyuubi.

::Kami, I have no gender. So shut your mouth before I sew it closed… for… you…:: No, it was not the words that surprised Naruto, it was that the voice had _changed_. ::What the hell happened to my voice?:: Said Bijuu's voice was now no longer strained, as if whatever was stuck in it's throat had been removed. But even stranger the voice was very high pitch, the kind of high pitch that could only belong to a woman.

"HA! So you are female!" Naruto shouted out as he stood up and pointed at the sword, a victorious smirk on his lips. "I knew it!"

::I have no gender, dumbass!:: The Kyuubi shouted back, but it's voice said otherwise. ::Dammit, just because my voice has changed doesn't mean anything!::

"… Sure." Naruto's voice dripped with sarcasm, earning a growl from the Kyuubi. "Okay, moving on, what's your name?"

::Again, I am a physical manifestation of energy, I was never given a name. I simply go by the title of Kyuubi.::

Naruto frowned. "Well, that's just not right, everyone needs a name." He took up a thinking pose. "I know, I'll name you!"

::… You're joking, right?::

"Nope." The blonde said cheerfully. "Now, what do you look like?"

::Why does that matter?::

"A good name is based off what the person looks like."

::So your parents gave you your name because you look like a damn fishcake?:: The Kyuubi laughed out.

Naruto growled. "Just tell me what you look like."

::Sure, sure, but haven't you read the stories? Big fox, nine tails, crimson fur, blood red eyes, razor-sharp teeth, deadly claws, what else are you expecting?::

"Right… how about… Akahana (Bright Red)?"

::No.::

"... Chiyo (Eternal)?"

::Fitting, but no.::

"… Eiko (Long-Lived)?"

::No, and why are all of these girl names?::

"You're a girl."

::No I'm not!::

"You sure sound like one."

::That doesn't mean anything, dumbass!::

"… Akane (Shining Red)?"

::No… wait… why are we back on names, AND I'M NOT A GIRL!::

"Huh, I can't think of any other names."

::Don't ignore me you little fucker!::

"Maybe if we get back to tomorrow I can think of new ones."

::Pay attention to me when I'm yelling at you, bitch!::

"But what to do in the mean time?"

::For the sake for all that is damned, listen to me! I am the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune! The lord of the Bijuu!::

"Queen of the Bijuu."

::Queen of the Bijuu, and strongest demon-::

"Woman."

::Strongest woman alive. So listen to me when- I'M NOT A WOMAN, STOP PUTTING WORDS IN MY MOUTH!::

"Oh, I know, I can go practice in using a sword."

::Oh, you are NOT ignoring me again!::

"But where's a good place to practice?"

::You have three seconds to stop ignoring me or I will beat you ass so hard you will _wish_ for a ticket to hell!::

"Maybe the forest of death?"

::One.::

"Nah, too many things to run from. Well then maybe Team Seven's training ground?"

::Two!::

"No, Sasuke is probably training there after having the crap beaten out of him on the last mission."

::THREE!::

"Oh, I know! I'll ask to leave the village, that should give me room!"

::THAT'S IT YOU LITTLE MOTHER FUCKER, NOBODY IGNORES _ME_! JUST WAIT, DIPSHIT! THE SECOND YOU DAMN TOUCH THIS SWORD I WILL BLAST YOUR FUCKING HAND RIGHT OFF!::

"But first I'll need some scrolls to Kenjutsu. I think I saw some next to the Fuinjutsu scroll section. Kami, I love the library… never thought I would say that… oh well." Naruto then threw a simple shirt on and ran out the door, yelling back as he left the house. "See you later, Makka (Deep Red)!" Before he was out the apartment, closing the door behind him.

::STOP GIVING ME GIRL'S NAMES! PAY ATTENTION TO ME! I AM THE KYUUBI! DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!::

"_Wow. She didn't curse for four sentences straight, I think that's a new record."_ The blonde thought, having heard the yelling clearly, despite having left the apartment already.

::FUCK YOU, I'M NOT A GIRL, ASSHOLE!::

* * *

"_Guess this is what people mean when they say 'be careful what you wish for'."_

::What's that supposed to mean, dumbass?:: The Kyuubi said back, her voice still coming from inside Naruto's head. She sounded pissed, but the blonde did not even flinch, having to listen to said pissed voice for the past hour or so.

"_How can you hear my thoughts anyway?"_ The blonde asked, er, thought as he ran through the forest of Hi no Kuni, once again ignoring what the Kyuubi said, much to her annoyance.

::You expect me to know?:: The Bijuu growled out, still sounding pissed. Maybe it was a permanent emotion? ::Just what do you plan on doing anyway?::

"_Just what I told Jiji I would do, mess around with your Chakra."_ Naruto replied in an almost uncaring matter. After finding the Kenjutsu section of the library, taking out five scrolls on the art, he had gone to see the old Hokage. Sarutobi Hiruzen greeted the boy with a smile, which quickly faded on the topic. Naruto had asked the man for temporarily leave of the village to train, something that, while not unheard of, was uncommon for any ninja below Jonin level. Though because it was so rare for a Genin, someone who had almost no chance of knowing anything of great importance, there was not any paperwork that needed to be filled out, much to the old man's joy. Anyway, Hiruzen's smile slipped when Naruto said he was, as he put it, 'going to mess around with the Furball's Chakra', with said demon cursing at him for calling her such. As for a reason, Naruto said he thought he should gain the ability to use it without going insane, like he did on the bridge in Nami. Hiruzen, with some reluctance, gave the boy the permission slip and sent him on his way. Never once did Naruto mention the Scroll of Mito or his little project with the Kyuubi, as he promised to protect the former and felt no need to mention the latter yet. _"Now I just have to get far enough away that no wandering ninja will stumble upon me on accident."_

::Hey, dumbass, small problem with your already fucked-up plan, incase you didn't notice.:: The Kyuubi spoke up again, voice laden with sarcasm. Which was, much like her sounding pissed off, very common.

Naruto waited for her to continue, but when she did not he prodded. _"Which is?"_

::I am no longer in you, thank Kami for that.:: Ignoring the insulted 'Hey!' from her former container, the Bijuu continued. ::As such, you can't do shit with my Chakra.::

"Wrong." Naruto sang out loud in a rather childish manner, getting an annoyed yet confused growl from the demon. _"If you didn't know, another reason why I ripped you out of my adorable little tummy was so that your power would remain with me and be able to be channeled through your new container, this sword, with no repercussions on me."_

The Kyuubi was silent, seeming to digest the information. ::Well fuck me, can you actually do that?:: For once she had neither anger nor sarcasm in her voice.

"_Of course my wonderful damsel, that is what the Chakra Key seal I found in the scroll is for. But before I start with that I'm going to try and get decent with this sword first."_

::You do remember that I have no knowledge whatsoever on seals, right? How am I supposed to know what that is?:: Instead of answering, Naruto chuckled slightly, confusing the Bijuu further. ::Why are you laughing at me?::

"_You didn't deny what I called you this time."_ Almost feeling the confused look the Kyuubi was probably giving him, he continued. _"I said, and I quote, 'of course my wonderful damsel' end quote."_

The Kyuubi was silent for a moment, something that Naruto loved as those moments were few and far between. He then heard what sounded like a sigh from the feminine sounding demon. ::You know what? Fuck it, I don't really give a damn anymore, call me whatever the hell you feel like. I had no gender to begin with, now that I sound female, might as well consider myself one.:: The blonde Genin was not sure how to react to that. ::Besides, I can assure that if I was a chick, that I would be _far_ sexier than anyone you've ever seen.:: Naruto, not expecting anything like this, faltered in his steps. Normally this would not be too big a problem, but at this moment the blonde was jumping through the trees. So when he faltered he tripped, fell off the branch he was currently on, smashed face first into a lower branch, flipped off said branch, and landed on his back on the ground, hard, in a thorn bush, piercing his skin and getting blood.

There was a moment of silence as nothing made a sound, only for it to be broken by the Kyuubi's insane laughter and a low growl from Naruto.

"_Go ahead, laugh. One day I'll get you back."_

::I can hear you.::

"_I know, bitch, I know."_

* * *

Clear blue skies, gentle wind, and large crowd, this was today in Otafuku Gai.

Yoruichi exited the room she had stayed the night and most of the previous day in, followed closely by Tessai. She was garbed in robes once more, these midnight blue and covered her whole form. None of the other Kumo-nin were not anywhere to be seem.

"Yoruichi-sama, may I ask where you are going?"

Well, most that is.

Twitching slightly, the noblewoman replied to the person, who happened to be Soi Fon. "I am going for a walk, Tessai-san is accompanying me." The girl said with the same, calm demeanor she wore so often.

"I will also accompany you, Yoruichi-sama." Soi Fon said, earning a slightly bigger twitch from the girl, not that it was seen as Soi Fon was kneeling with her head down.

"That will be unnecessary, Soi Fon-san." Before the Fon clan member could respond, she continued. "As it is your shift for guarding the room and the others are still resting from their shifts, you shall remain here."

"With all due respect, ma'am, but there is no reason to protect the room if you are not in it."

"Incorrect." The noblewoman's face showed neither anger nor annoyance, despite how much she felt the latter of the two. "As you are protecting me from any and all dangers, is it not impossible for an assassin to sneak into my room and wait for me to return?"

Soi Fon stiffened, mentally berating herself for not thinking of something so simple. "Very well, Yoruichi-sama, I will remain here." She then stood up and glared at Tessai. "Keep her safe." She whispered to the man as she walked passed, thinking only he could hear.

"Of course." The man responded instantly, not even looking in the passing girl's direction. When Soi Fon was out of earshot and Yoruichi began to walk again, the man spoke again. "You thought that out well, Yoruichi." Tessai said to the girl who smirked triumphantly at the complement. "But why did you wait for Soi Fon's shift when you could have left much earlier?"

"If I had done it during one of the others' shifts then when Soi Fon woke up, if she even fell asleep that is, she would have yelled at the person for one reason or another and charged off to find me. This way, she can't blame anyone and won't come after us for a _long time_." She purred out the last words, a large smirk on her face, getting a raised eyebrow from Tessai.

"Why do you sound so happy? Her shift ends in a few hours tops."

"Correction, it ends when the guards that take her place wake up." Yoruichi said, smirk still in place. For a small moment, Tessai was even more confused, just before he put the pieces together and let out a loud sigh.

"What did you do?" He asked the girl, only getting her smirk to turn into a full-blown cheshire grin, showing her pearly white teeth to the world.

"Nuthin'." She purred out, but her smile said otherwise.

"Yoruichi." Tessai said in a dangerous tone, glancing at the girl as they exited the hotel and into the crowded streets.

"Wellllll." She dragged the word out, trying, and failing, to hide her smile. "I _might_ have turned off their wake-up alarms." Tessai continued to stare at her, knowing there was more. "… and drugged them a little." He continued to stare. "… and tied their hands and feet to the bed while gagging them and locking the doors with all three door locks." He was still staring. "… Four locks." He did not even blink. "… and removed the door handles" Kami that is creepy, he's like a statue. "That's it, I swear!"

Tessai stared for a moment longer before sighing loudly. "What are you going to tell them happened when they wake up?"

"I will deny everything, as they know no better. They will suspect that someone snuck in to attack me, but I happened to be on a walk by _coincidence_ and they left before anyone noticed. If it comes down to it and they suspect you, I'll be your alibi, you were by my side this entire time."

"Speaking of which, when did you leave to drug them?" Tessai asked, he had never once let the girl out of sights, and she did not know any kind of clone jutsu from what he knew.

"Unimportant." She dismissed quickly as they neared the edge of the town. "Now then, I still haven't perfected my speed technique sooooo, I was wondering." She then stopped and turned to Tessai, looking at him, seeming to be on the verge of tear, she even started sniffling. "Could you help me practice, Tessai?" She asked in a voice one would associate with child that just had its puppy kicked.

"_I know I'm going to regret this, but she is just to damn good an actor."_ Tessai thought, trying to say no. Trying, and failing. "… Very well, Yoruichi." The girl let out a small squeak, her grin returning. She then grabbed the teenager's sleeve and dragged him out of the town and into the surrounding forest to practice. _"I wonder how long the bruises will last this time."_

* * *

Southward, on the beach of Hi no Kuni, a dock can be found. One boat in particular is important at this moment. It was a large boat, meant for long ocean travels. On the deck was a young adult. She was a petite woman, her short black hair was tied into two small braids in the back and a pair of square, red glasses. She had on an odd styled kimono that ended halfway down her thighs, much like a miniskirt. On her back was a spear that was longer than she was tall. The pole was thicker than her arms were and the blade at one end was in the shape of a spade.

"Yadomaru-san." Someone called. The woman turned towards the voice, a middle-aged bearded, glasses-wearing man came up to her, panting slightly. "Yadomaru-san, have you seen Yukie anywhere?" The man asked, still catching his breath.

"Hai, she snuck off the ship twenty minutes ago and is currently hiding in the pub across from us." The woman said, not seeming to care. "If I had to guess I would say she would be taking advantage of finally looking old enough to obtain alcohol with needing to give an ID."

"Why would she not want to show them her ID?" The man asked.

"She is quite famous." She said simply.

"R-Right." The man blushed, as he forgot how much Fujikaze Yukie hated being noticed. "S-So, are you leaving soon?"

"Yes, immediately." She hefted the large spear onto her shoulder, ready to strike, and not seeming hindered by the obvious weight. "I will head to Konoha and clear away any obvious problems that may cause you trouble on you way there. It is unlikely I will make any stops in towns besides the one I am planning."

"You're planning to stop somewhere?" The man asked, sounding both confused and surprised.

"Hai, a festival will be held in a popular town in five days."

"I never took you for a festival type of girl."

"Festivals sell good manga."

The man made a silent 'ah' at hearing this. "If they have it, can you pick me up a few?" He asked, though he probably did not have to as she would probably just buy them for herself anyway.

"I will see, but if I buy them you will have to wait until I have read them to borrow." She then crotched down slightly, preparing to jump off the ship. "Is there anything else, Asama-san?"

The man shook his head. "No, you may go." The woman gave a curt nod before jumping off the boat and landing gracefully on a rooftop fifty feet away. Quickly disappearing into the distance as she continued jumping and running.

"Sandayu?" Another voice called, before a girl came around the corner on the ship. She looked to be in her late-teens, early twenties. Her black hair stopped just above her chin and framed her young face. She wore large circular glasses over her blue eyes. She looked so similar to the woman who had just left that they could pass off as sisters. "Where is Lisa?" She asked the man, Sandayu, stopping before him.

"Oh, sorry, Nanao. She just left." The man replied, only for Nanao to take a fan out of seemingly nowhere and smack him with it.

"And you didn't tell me?" She practically screamed at the man.

"Don't worry about it, Nanao." He said as he rubbed his now sore skull. "You'll see Lisa again before you know it."

Oh how wrong he was.

* * *

"_Damn, this is hard."_

Naruto stood in the very center of a clearing. He had discarded his jacket, leaving him in a black undershirt, orange pants, and blue sandals. In his right hand was his unsheathed shikomizue, in his left hand he held the scabbard of the sword. He panted lightly and held his Kenjutsu stance. Surrounding him were roughly a hundred Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone), each with their own sword copies drawn. After reading the basics on the sword art, Naruto read through the styles given, before discarding all of them. None seemed to work for him so he decided to just train and possibly make his own style. So, he had created an army of clones and told them all to attack him with swords alone.

That was seven hours ago.

He had not stopped for a break even once.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" He yelled at the surrounding clones, gripping his sword tighter. "I never said stop!" The clones all looked at each other before shrugging and charging their creator.

One jumped and directed an overhead slash, which Naruto blocked with his own sword before retaliating with a swing of his scabbard, knocking the clone away. Ducking under another slash from behind, he turned and made a stabbing motion, only for it to be blocked by another clone, while a third tried for a decapitating swing. Leaning backwards and dodging said swing, Naruto dropped his scabbard and continued into a one-handed handstand, kicking up at the offending clone, getting it in the chin and dispelling it. Flipping out of the handstand and into the air, dodging another swing by luck alone, he lashed out at another attacking clone, cutting it along the torso and dispelling it as well.

Landing back on his feet, Naruto rushed forward, ducking under another swing and diving forward into a roll, dodging several more strikes as he reclaimed his dropped scabbard. Quickly righting himself and held up the piece of sturdy wood, intercepting three other strikes. Lashing out, he destroyed two of the three attacking clones and jumped at the third. Said clone ducked under the strike and went for another slash, which was blocked, and then a swing with it's own scabbard, only to be blocked by Naruto's. The clone and original were in a dead lock before Naruto forced the blade and wood apart, leaving himself and the clone open for attacks. Lashing out with a flat-footed kick he caught the clone in the chest, knocking it back. Before Naruto could finish the clone, he kneeled low, a swing from behind cut where his head just was, grazing his hair. Quickly standing up he caught the attacking clone in the chin with the top of his hard head. With the clone stunned, Naruto whipped to the side and caught it in the chest with his left elbow, extending his right arm, holding his sword out and making contact with several more clones, dispelling them all along with the one he elbowed. Continuing the counterclockwise spin, the clones jumped away as not to follow after their brothers into nonexistence.

Naruto and all of his copies stopped but did not let their guard down. Naruto took a moment to marvel at his new sword skills. This morning he knew nothing of the art, but after only seven hours of practice he had almost finished making his own style and could take on large groups of enemies of his own skill level. He had not even gotten a single injury in almost three hours. The reason he was getting so good? Kage Bunshin. This special type of clone, when dispelled, gave their memories back to the original, as he read in the scroll he stole for Mizuki a while back. Now he could have just summoned hundreds of clones and have them all practice a style, which would quickly make him a master in it. There were three problems with that thought. One, he had no style he liked enough to practice in, opting to make his own. Two, the backlash when dispelling them all would be so severe that it might kill him, where here they are dispelled only when beat shortly after beginning a fight. And three, it was just plain boring. Besides, while skill was important, he was gaining something that he considered much more important; experience. So, every half hour or so, Naruto would make a few hundred more Kage Bunshin to keep their up. When they were beat, their memories would go to Naruto and every other living clone, thus telling them 'don't do this', 'don't attack like that', 'don't block at this time', 'don't ignore this movement', as that is how the clone died. So in seven hours on nonstop training as such, he never had one memory overload, which he was grateful for, and his skills continued to increase greatly. If he had to guess, if all the memories he had gotten were added together along with his own, he probably had almost two months of training with a sword.

"I told you not to stop." Naruto called out with a smirk before he charged forward into the mass of clones, going into offense.

Jumping high into the air and holding his sword overhead and scabbard to the side. Just at the peak of his jump he got a foreboding feeling. Glancing to his right, he saw multiple clones looking as well. There was a bright flash from the trees, followed by what appeared to be a blast of white Chakra crashing through the clearing, incinerating all of the clones and carving a large trench into the ground. Luckily, Naruto had been height enough in his jump that it did not hit him head on. Unluckily, the blast was very big and caught his feet, removing his shoes and bottom of his pant legs from existence and burning his feet. Biting back his scream of pain, Naruto fell to the ground, preparing to land on his feet. He would realize later that walking when your feet have third degree burns was not a good idea, nor was landing from fifteen feet in the air on said injured feet.

But he did not think of this until it was too late, so once his injured feet hit the surface of the ground, immense pain coursed though him, erecting a scream from the blonde before he collapsed onto his back.

His scream got the attention of whoever fired the attack.

* * *

"Well, I'm impressed." Tessai said as he observed the damage caused by his charge's unnamed attack.

"T-Thanks." Yoruichi panted out, seeming to be barely standing after firing the attack. She had discarded her noble robes, showing a white training gi was worn underneath. The gi covered her whole torso and had long sleeves, the bottom ending in a loincloth fashion and tied with a pale brown sash. Her legs were covered in long black stockings that ended halfway up her thighs. On her feet her a pair of wooden sandals that looked to be a cross between clogs and flip-flops that added a little over an inch to her height. Before any more conversation could transpire, a scream of pain filled the air, coming from nearby and in the direction she launched her large attack. "Oh no!" She gasped, running in the direction, though slowly because of her exhaustion, and followed closely by Tessai.

About fifty yards down the trench she created, Yoruichi found a boy about her age lying on the ground and holding his obviously burnt feet off the ground. "Hey, are you alright?" She asked with a worried face as she kneeled beside the boy.

Said boy was gritting his teeth to stop from screaming again, only noticing Yoruichi only after she called to him. "Who are you?"

"Yoruichi. I, um, I'm the one who did this." She said gesturing to the trench they were in. "Sorry." She said sheepishly.

The boy looked surprised by this, before it switched to annoyance. "Were you trying to kill me?" He shouted the noblewoman, getting a flinch in response, she was not used to being yelled at. "If I wasn't mid-jump when it reached me then I would be a smoldering corpse!" She looked down at that, knowing it was true. The boy let out a sigh, speaking calmly this time. "I'm bad at staying angry at people." He seemed concerned at her saddened mood, but a large smile came to his face. "Hey, don't worry about it too much." The boy put his hand on her shoulder, his voice cheerful, surprising Yoruichi. "I'm too lucky to get killed like that, but my feet sure are screwed up, eh?" He looked down at said feet and tried to move them, only to wince in pain. "It'll heal, but I won't be able to move for a few hours, at least." He frowned before looking back at Yoruichi with his smile returning. "By the way, I'm Naruto." He held out his hand to her.

Yoruichi took the offered hand and shook it, smiling as well. He was a nice kid. A little strange maybe, but defiantly nice. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto-san." Her smile dropped when she saw his annoyed look.

"No 'san', just Naruto." This confused her, she was always spoke with suffixes, unless she was alone with Tessai, but those times were rare.

"Why?" She blurted out before she thought about it, feeling embarrassed. Naruto gave her a questioning look but answered anyway.

"I do not like being formal with anyone. Hell I'm even informal with the leader of my village."

"What village is that?"

"Konoha." He stated as if it was obvious, and when he tapped his finger on his leaf engraved headband tied around his forehead, which Yoruichi had not noticed, it really did seem obvious. "You're not from around here, are you?"

"Um, no." She got rather nervous, she nearly killed a Konoha-nin that would definitely not help with the negotiations. "I'm from up north, I'm actually on my way to Konoha with a friend and some others." She said, somewhat reluctantly.

"Really, where are they?" Naruto asked, then noticed another man in odd clothes, not that he was one to talk, walking towards the two.

"My name is Tessai, I am the friend Yoruichi mentioned." The man said, standing beside Yoruichi in an almost protective manner.

"Hey!" Naruto waved to the man, being to far down to reach for a hand shake. "Are there any of the others you came with near by?"

"No, just us two." Yoruichi answered, drawing his attention again. "What are you doing out here anyway, I figured no ninja would be this far from their village alone."

"Training." The blonde answered with a smile. "Trying to get good with using this piece of junk." He picked up the sword at his side, laughing at seemingly an internal joke. "She really doesn't like me." He noted with mirth.

"She?" Yoruichi asked with a raised eyebrow, getting another chuckle from the strange blonde. "You actually gave your sword a gender?"

"Well, kind of." Naruto allowed, he was not stupid enough to tell them he had a demon that was currently cursing at him, sealed into the sword, though the two foreigners did not seem to hear the Kyuubi for some reason. "I'm trying to think of a name for it and a female one seemed to fit it the best."

"… If you say so." The noblewoman allowed, this boy really was strange, but not in a bad way.

The two preteens continued to talk, while Tessai looked at the boy with a calculating gaze, not that it could be seen through his glasses. More specifically, he looked at the blonde's feet. The attack that Yoruichi had used, which she had yet to name, should have instantly killed all of the nerves in the boy's feet if it had not just outright disintegrated the appendage. Either way leaving him never able to walk ever again. But not only could he still move his feet, admittedly painfully, but they were actually healing. And not just that he may be able to use them in a month or so, but they were healing rapidly right before his eyes! The skin, which was charcoal black when they first got here, was already fading and it only looked like a child came and badly colored his foot with a black crayon. Yoruichi did not seem to notice this, much like his headband, probably because she was tired. The girl was practically dead on her feet from using that technique. This boy, Naruto, healed on a level that was practically regeneration. There were only two people that Tessai knew that could heal anywhere near this level, and even they took hours to heal from nearly having a limb burned off. And, even if Naruto was blonde, it was certain that he was not Yugito.

"_So, he is a Jinchuriki."_ Tessai thought as the two children talked He was not paying attention to what they were talking about, but whatever it was it seemed to be a light argument. _"Even if he holds the Kyuubi, which is most probable considering Konoha's history, he heals much faster than Kirabi-sama, far too fast to be a single tails worth in difference. Whatever else he may be, it would be wise if I got him away from Yoruichi. Not doing so would only cause problems sometime in the future-"_ His thoughts, along with all higher brain functions died as he heard one thing he had never _ever_ heard before; the laugh of one Shihoin Yoruichi.

Tessai stood there, unable to think, his mouth agape as Yoruichi laughed so hard that she clutched her sides, as if in pain. Naruto sat there, pouting, probably losing some petty argument. Upon seeing the childish pout, Yoruichi laughed even harder, now on the verge of tears. The blonde began to chuckle, before he started into a full-blown laughter. Yoruichi had never once laughed like that, even when she was with Tessai. She chuckled from time to time, always smiled, sometimes forced, when it was just the two or even when she was alone. But now, she was laughing for the very first time _ever_.

"_By Kami, this kid is a miracle worker."_

* * *

… Now it was two hours.

Two hours.

Two long hours.

… Twitch… Now it was two hours and one minute.

Two hours and one minute.

Two long hours and one painstaking minute since she last saw Yoruichi.

She had no idea if the noblewoman was alright, but she could not go look for her and leave the room unguarded.

… Twitch.

Was she safe?

… Twitch… Twitch… Was it two hours and two minutes yet?

Twitch… It was.

… Twitch.

Where was Yoruichi?

Was she okay?

Did the assassin get her?

… Twitch, twitch.

… Not good… Twitch.

Soi Fon stood in the hallway, eyes dry from not blinking for more than an hour. Her fingers twitched again.

… Twitch.

Her toes curled and uncurled inside her shoes. She had not moved any other muscles since she took to guarding the hallway, not even blinking for a chance for someone to rush past, only staring at the clock on the wall across from her.

… Now it was two hours and four minutes.

Wait, when did she miss two hours and three minutes?

She must be slipping… What if someone got by while she was unfocused!

Not good!

Rushing into the room to her right she ran past the door… that was broken off its hinges and on the ground, nearly broken in half. Soi Fon had busted down the door when the guards were unresponsive when she knocked on the door, ten minutes after they should have been up. She had untied them and tried to wake them, but whatever drug was used on them was strong.

… Twitch.

To make it even worse, the Fon member had not recognized the drug, which was disturbing as she had memorized hundreds of drugs. That could only mean that the person made it them self.

… Twitch… A professional.

Quickly scanning the room, the four unconscious Kumo-nin still on their individual beds, one in particular snoring loudly. No one had snuck in this room. Running back into the hallway, Soi Fon ran into the room on the other side of the clock.

… Now it was two hours and six minute.

Oh no! She wasted another minute! If someone had previously snuck into a room they could have snuck out this time!

Rushing into the second room that Yoruichi had been given to Yoruichi, she looked around frantically, no changes could be seen done to the room… this person must be a professional! Wait, she already deduce that… how did she deduce that the first time? Can't remember, but if the assassin was a professional before, then now… he was a _super_ professional… right?

Yes! It made perfect sense!

Running around the room, Soi Fon over turned everything in search of whatever trap the assassin obviously placed in the time she was not focusing enough to notice him.

It was while she was dismantling the radio… for some reason she could not remember now, that she was it, the obvious trap.

"AH-HA!" Soi Fon shouted, a crazed look in her eye, as she dove onto the bed and seized the trap that the assassin had left… the pillow. "HA HA HA! YOU'RE SLIPPING! THIS PILLOW WAS NEVER ORANGE! HA!" She held up said pillow that had not been orange last time she was here… What color had it been? Doesn't matter, she knew it was not orange.

… right?

"HA HA, OF COURSE IT WASN'T ORANGE! I FOUND IT! HA!"

It was then that Soi Fon erupted into a fit of wild laughter, only to abruptly stop when she saw a lady at the door. The lady was a hotel maid… or that was only what she wanted you to think.

… A professional.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU LOOKING AT!"

The person dressed as an maid, no doubt another assassin, let out a small scream and ran away, dropping a roll of toilet paper in the process. Soi Fon was frozen, still holding the pillow above her head, and stared at the roll of toilet paper sitting in the doorway. It had rolled into the perfect position that, with it obviously being a bomb, it would blow and easily destroy the lamb that was lying on the floor. Why was the lamb on the floor? Had she thrown it there while searching for threats? Can't remember, but this roll of toilet paper was good, it was…

… A professional.

Whoever the assassin was, they were good. To be able to hire a professional fake-maid and professional roll of toilet paper… This person must be a _super_ professional! Wait, she already deduced that… how did she deduce that the first time? Can't remember, but if the assassin was a super professional before, then now… he was a _excellent_ professional… right?

Yes! It made perfect sense!

Soi Fon slowly putting the pillow down, why was she holding a pillow? Can't remember. She slowly stalked towards the bomb disguised as a roll of toilet paper.

… Twitch.

Quick as lightning, Soi Fon grabbed the bomb and threw it across the hallway, letting it fly.

"TAKE COVER!"

Soi Fon dived back into the room to get away from the blast that would no doubt occur, holding the lamb that was no doubt the target of the explosion to her chest for protection.

The bomb did not go off.

… Twitch.

It must be set to not go off when not near the lamb. This bomb was good, even disguised as a roll of toilet paper she could tell that is was…

… A professional.

Glancing up, she saw the clock that was knocked off the nightstand, possibly by her, and saw the time.

Two hours and eight minutes.

Two hours ad eight minutes since she last saw Yoruichi.

Was she safe?

Was she hurt?

Was she-

"Soi Fon-san."

Soi Fon screamed at the sudden voice, dropping the lamp as she dived to the corner of the room and pressed her back to it, panting slightly. Why was she holding a lamp? Can't remember.

"Soi Fon-san." The voice came again. The girl looked to the doorway to see the Shihoin heiress, appearing to be unharmed. She wore the same midnight blue robes she wore when she left and had the same emotionless face she always wore, though now a delicate eyebrow was raised in what appeared to be confusion. "Could you tell me why the guards are unconscious?" She then slowly looked around the room. "And to what happened to my sleep quarters."

The Fon member stared at the older girl, not comprehending. "YORUICHI-SAMA!" She screamed as she rushed forward and tackled the startled girl, knocking both of them to the floor. 'YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Yoruichi, whose face remained mostly emotionless as she stared down on the girl who did not seem very stable mentally at the moment, was not sure how to answer to that, but tried anyway. "Is there any reason I should be otherwise?"

Seeming to regain her sanity/composure, Soi Fon jumped off Yoruichi and bowed deeply. "Forgive me, Yoruichi-sama. I had reason to believe that there is an assassin after you. With the guards knocked out, I was unable to leave and go look for you, leaving the rooms unprotected… I feared the worse."

"Was it also the assassin that did this to my assigned room?" Yoruichi asked as she stood up and glanced into the destroyed room.

"Um… no, that would have been me." Soi Fon said, looking down to hide her embarrassment.

The purple-haired girl's eyebrow once again rose, but she did not comment. "Very well, Tessai-san is downstairs checking us out. We will leave once the guards are awake."

"As you wish, Yoruichi-sama." Soi Fon said as she bowed again. As the noblewoman was straitening out her ruffled robes, Soi Fon took notice of Yoruichi's shoes, or lack there of. "Yoruichi-sama, where are your shoes?" She asked, not noticing the dark-skinned girl's cheeks darken, signaling she was blushing, something that was unheard of for her to do.

"… I did not take a pair when I left." She quickly lied, remembering how she actually departed with the shoes.

* * *

"_Are you sure. It's really not a problem." Naruto said to the girl sitting next to him. They were both sitting against a tree surrounding the now destroyed clearing. Tessai had left to go retrieve Yoruichi's robes, as they would have to leave soon. "My feet are already healed and I can just by new shoes later." He girl next to him just shook her head._

"_I destroyed your own pair and nearly killed you, it's the least I can do." She said as held out her own shoes to the blonde. When he was about to retort, she cut him off. "And I won't take no for an answer." She said with a smile, something that she had done more in the past hour then she had done in her entire life._

_Naruto just let out a sigh, knowing he would not win this argument, something that was already becoming unavoidable. "Fine." He said as he took the strange looking sandals._

"_Great!" Yoruichi cheered out, her smile widening. "They're called geta." The girl explained as Naruto put the sandals on. "They were originally made to keep the feet dry, as they were raised off the ground. Not many people wear them anymore. They may be uncomfortable at first, but it grows on you. Not to mention that it'll add a few inches to your short height." She chuckled at Naruto's rather cute pout._

"_Hey! I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet!" He retorted, getting another laugh from the girl, causing him to smile, she had a nice laugh. "Now all I need is a new pair of pants." He said, looking at his pants, the bottom part of which were also destroyed by the blast, making them shorts. "I don't suppose you have any you might give me?" He asked her, an evil gleam in his eye._

_The noblewoman blushed at the implications, not used to _anyone_ ever trying to flirt with her. She smacked him on the back of his head, turning away to hide her darkened cheeks. "Pervert!" Naruto laughed as he rubbed his aching cranium, soon hearing Yoruichi's laugh following his own. The young girl sighed as the laughter subsided. "I have to go now." She said, an almost invisible frown on her face, seeing Tessai waiting on the other side of the clearing. "Maybe I'll see you when I get to Konoha." She said, trying to hide her hope._

"_Oh course we will!" Naruto said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world surprising Yoruichi. "We're friends right? Friends will always meet again, sooner or later." His smile almost radiated light._

"_F-Friends?" Yoruichi asked, unsure of the word._

"_Yeah!" His smile fell. "Do you not want to be friends?"_

"_NO!" She screamed out, quickly covering her mouth at the outburst. "I-I mean... I would like to be your friend, Naruto-san."_

_Before she could say any more, Naruto knocked the top of her head, not hard enough to bruise it, but still hard. "What did I tell you, Yoruichi?" He questioned in an annoyed tone. "I don't like formalities, yet you just called me 'san'. Just for that, from now on yo have to call me Naruto-kun, got it?"_

"_Um, sure." The girl said, mystified. She could not remember ever calling anyone that. But soon another smile crossed her face, this boy was a strange one. "Sure, Naruto-kun." The suffix felt weird when she said it, but she smiled anyway._

"_There we go!" Naruto returned her smile. "Well get you out of the formalities in no time, Yoruichi-chan." His own suffix gained another blush from the girl, if anyone from Kumo saw her now they would not recognize her at all._

"_C-Chan?" She stuttered out, once again, it was something never used on her name before. "Why did you just called me that?"_

_Naruto just smiled, his eyes closed, giving him a fox-like appearance. "I call every girl I know chan or something similar, especially those I am friends with."_

* * *

"A-Anyway, until the guards awake, I will remain in Tessai's room as mine is… unusable." Yoruichi said, clearing her head of the rather fond memories.

"As you wish, Yoruichi-sama." Soi Fon said, still bowed so she did not see the other girls blush or notice her stuttering. "I will continue to try and wake the guards."

"Good, I wish to leave for Konoha as soon as possible." A small smile graced the noblewoman's lips, thankfully still unseen by Soi Fon. _"Strange, I already miss him."_

* * *

_Chakra Key: S-Rank Forbidden Fuinjutsu._

_A seal placed on an inanimate object that has some sort of living being, usually powerful, sealed into it. Chakra Key should be placed around storage device used to seal living being. When applied, it will allow any person who knows how to access the power of the sealed being when activated. The object it is sealed in physically changing to fit the user's abilities, personality, ideals, power, and many other factors. If the sealed being has none of its own power to be harnessed, the user must channel energy that is compatible with the sealed being to be used. Much like how the object's appearance will be decided, the abilities the user will be able to use with the sealed being will be unique to that person alone, but similar techniques may be able to be passed down from parents to their children._

_To activate the seal, three things are required:_

_One: The user must be able to communicate with the sealed being._

_Two: The user must give the sealed being a name that the being accepts._

_Three: The sealed being decide a 'Release Command', which can either be a single word or small phrase, and cannot be changed after user agrees on it._

_When all are these are acquired, to activate the seal is a simple task. The user must hold the object containing the sealed being, and by either tapping into the energy of the sealed being or channeling your own through it, depending on the situation, the user must say the chosen Release Command and name, in that order._

_Tip: This seal is very large and it is recommended to be drawn on a large surface and use Array Storage if object with sealed being is small, rather than try and draw seal small._

_Warning: This seal is very delicate, if there is even a single flaw in drawing it, no matter how small, it will break and cause a large explosion, destroying everything in, roughly, a thirty-mile radius._

::So, this is why you were trying to give me a name?:: The feminine voice of the Kyuubi no Kitsune rang inside Naruto's head as he read the seal description from the Scroll of Mito that he brought with him on his little journey. ::I wonder why no one ever tried to use this before like you are, especially Mito herself.::

"Maybe she just didn't think she could remove you without killing herself." Naruto said out loud. He was sitting against a tree, the same tree he was against when he talked with Yoruichi. "I wonder what Yoruichi-chan was going to Konoha for anyway."

::Does it matter?::

"Not really, but I'm still curious. She never even told me what country she was from."

::You never asked, dumbass.::

"Oh yeah, right." Naruto chuckled to hide his embarrassment, not that it worked. "Anyway, I better get to work on this."

::Be careful, will you. One little fuck-up and I may actually die, which I'd rather not do thank you very much.:: The Kyuubi noted.

"Don't worry, it can't be that hard of a seal to draw." He then glanced at the picture of the Chakra Key seal array. "… Or not."

::Holy shit! It looks like a fucking caffeine addicted squirrel went at it with the world's worse paint brush, then got blown open by a paper bomb with it's blood splatter adding to the mix!::

"Well I won't say that." Naruto said, still looking at the drawing.

::You mean that doesn't look hard to you?:: The Kyuubi questioned, Naruto could actually feel the look of disbelief on its face.

"Oh hell no!" Naruto replied immediately. "I just won't say what you did because that's a damn understatement if anything!" He glanced upward to see hundreds of Naruto clones in the partially destroyed clearing. He had the clones attacking each other, working in pairs, going one-on-one, and anything else he could think of. Whenever one dispelled, he would still get its knowledge so he was still getting experience. While at first, when he was had chosen to go up against the army of clones by himself, it had been odd and slightly uncomfortable to fight wearing his new footwear, but he got used to it quickly. Looking higher, he saw that it was nighttime, probably almost midnight. The Hokage had let him have leave from the village for two days, so he would probably just sleep outside for the night. In the morning he would go look for a place to draw the Chakra Key seal array before using the Array Storage seal to put in onto the blade. Once he had done that, he would begin to try and use the Kyuubi's energy by channeling it through the sword. "Now, what about this Release Command?" He said, looking back at the scroll.

::What about it?::

"You have to decide one, what will it be?"

::Why are we doing this now? You haven't even begun to draw the seal yet.::

"So? Might as well decide while we have nothing more to do."

::Very well.:: The Kyuubi went silent, probably thinking it over. ::Well… With being sealed in something that's not a human for the first time, and with that new energy flowing through you.::

"You mean the Reiatsu?"

::Yeah, that crap. It feels strange, it's very different than Chakra, but not in a bad way. In fact, just feeling it inside of you makes me feel like I just woke up from a long sleep.::

"That's… really cheesy."

::Oh fuck off, Uzumaki!:: Naruto just chuckled, and he could have sworn he heard the Kyuubi laugh as well. ::… I know.:: The blonde stopped laughing, eager to hear it. ::… Awaken.::

"Fitting."

::Thank you. Now, what about my name? You better give me a damn good one.::

"Sure, sure." Naruto said in a carefree manner, as if he was not talking with a demon. He picked up the sword that was at his side and unsheathed it. Holding it above his head with the light of the moon reflecting off of it. He could not help but be captured by the beauty of the blade. The sounds of metal clashing with metal of the clones fighting in the background not bothering him in the least. "… I got it."

::Really? That was fast. It better be a good one, and not some common name that everyone wants to name their kid.::

"Don't worry." Naruto chuckled again, not taking his eyes away from the shining blade. "It's uncommon and fits you perfectly, my Crimson Princess."

::Crimson Princess?::

"Yes." Gripping the blade tighter, as if about to swing it, a small smile graced his lips. "Awaken, Benihime."


	4. This is Me

**AN: **Okay, I was originally planning on doing an update here along with my other story, but I'm having problems with continuing "On With After", I am not discontinuing it but for any who like it for whatever reason, it may be a while longer until in updates, my apologies.

I don't know why, but this chapter just feels like a filler to me. If it also does to you, tell me cause I just can't shake that feeling for some reason.

I would like to thank **badass45**, as he brought up a question I have been meaning to answer. There will be Kido in this story. The way I see it, what Naruto would do would go somewhere along the lines of: _Reiatsu + free time + experimenting/blowing yourself up = Kido_. As for if I will give Naruto Bankai, I am at a dilemma. While I know that in the cannon Kisuke has Bankai, he has yet to show it. So, if by chance I get to the part in this story where I want to bring in Bankai, there is a chance I will just make up my own. When the time comes I will probably put up a pole for which you want me to do, so this is just a forewarning.

For **Aerowind Kinomoto.** First of all, don't shoot yourself for my laziness. Second, I was actually planning on showing/starting the Yoruichi and Soi Fon relation this chapter actually. It kind of feels out of place to me, but it was the best I could come up with.

Lastly, to everyone who reviewed, I wish to thank you for your great reviews. I will probably write faster if I get more reviews. Any questions I will try to answer in an note like this one or in the chapter, but I _will not_ spoil the story for anyone. I will take any suggestions you may have, as I am only one person and more brains means more ideas which means better stories... eighty-five percent of the time. Also, before anyone says anything, this is _not_ a harem fic, deal with it.

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**This is Me**

Naruto groaned as he opened his eyes, sunlight interrupting his sleep. He had slept outside like he decided he would, on the ground, under a tree to be more specific. Slowly opening his eyes, he was met with a color combination of cherry-red, neon-green, pale-blue, and dull-hazel. Blinking a few times to make sure he was not imagining it, he blew the stray strands of hair off of his face and addressed the strange color scheme.

"Yo."

The person, a woman in her mid-twenties at most, tilted her head to the side. The red was her scarf, which she was wearing despite how hot it was, the green was her hair, as unnatural as it seemed, the blue was what appeared to be a pair of goggles holding her hair back, and the hazel was her wide, innocent eyes.

"Can I ask why you're leaning over me?"

She seemed about to answer, but a voice from within the forest stopped her from doing so. "Mashiro!" The voice sounding to be pissed off male, shouted out, getting the woman to raise her head and look in that direction. "Where the hell are you? We need to keep going!"

"But Kensei!" The woman, Mashiro, called back in an impossibly high pitch voice, sounding more like she was whining.

"Stop complaining!" The voice, Kensei, came again. "I'm hungry, so either you come with me or stay there and starve!"

"Can we have rice cakes afterwards?" Mashiro stood up straight, seeming to have forgotten about Naruto, who still lay there.

"No! Now hurry up!"

"You're so mean, Kensei!" Mashiro yelled, but ran off anyway, leaving Naruto alone in the clearing.

"_Well that was weird."_ Naruto said as he grabbed his hat and jacket as he stood up, using his sword disguised as a cane to support help.

::Hey, don't use me like some sort of dammed walking stick!:: Came a voice inside our favorite blonde's head, getting a small, amused smile from the preteen.

"_That's what a cane is, Benihime."_ Naruto thought back, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

::Oh shut up!:: The demon said, giving a very unfeminine like snort. ::Just don't make a habit of it, dumbass.::

"_I wouldn't think of it."_ Standing tall and stretching his stiff muscles, hearing multiple pops, and putting on his jacket and hat. The blonde took a moment to think over what to do with his day. _"Well, best go and get started on that seal."_ Before he could take a step, his stomach growled, rather loudly. _"But first I'll get something to eat. Crap, I don't know which way a town is… or even if there is one within running distance."_ His stomach growled again. "I'm so hungry!" He cried out in a child-like manner.

::Are you bipolar or something?::

"_Shut up! I-"_ His rather angry thoughts cut off as a burst of color flashed across the morning sky in the distance. _"I'll just go that way!"_ With that, he took off, unknowingly going towards Otafuku Gai, where there happened to be a firework malfunction.

* * *

"God Dammit! Do you even listen to me when I explain things to you?" Shouted preteen girl with a prosthetic right arm and surprisingly well developed chest area for someone her age. She punched a younger boy on the head, knocking him to the ground. "You ignorant dumbass! You got to stay focused!" She continued to yell as she stomped on his head. "How did you even set the damn firework off? Were you playing with matches or something?" The boy did not get to answer, his face being plowed into the ground. "What kind of minion are you? You can't even do one simple task right!"

"Onee-san." The boy was able to groan out, getting the possibly insane girl to stop stomping on him, if only for a moment. "It wasn't my fault."

"Then who's was it?" The girl yelled at her still downed brother.

"It was Bonnie-chan, she knocked over your cigarettes."

"That pig of yours?" The girl questioned, before a large smile spread across her face. "Well, I already know what we'll be having for dinner tonight."

"What? No!" The boy yelled, getting out of the crater and wrapped his arms around his sister's legs. "Your can't eat Bonnie-chan!"

"Oi, get offa' me!" The girl shouted as she shook her leg, but the boy would not let go.

"What's going on here?" Came a new voice, the two stopped and saw a boy who looked in his mid to late-teens. "Kukaku, why do you have our brother clamped onto your leg?" He questioned, though did not sound surprised that such a thing happened.

"His damn pig set off fireworks!" The now known as Kukaku shouted.

The older boy gave her a confused look. "Then kill it."

"What? Kaien-aniki, you can't be serious!" The younger boy yelled, but was ignored.

"That's what I was going to do!" Kukaku answered. "But this little gaki got in my way!" She glared at the boy.

"Then wait until the festival and sell it." Kaien said, both still ignoring the younger boy's screams of protest.

"You can't sell her!" The boy continued to argue, finally getting his sister's attention.

"Shut the hell up Ganju!" She yelled, kicking him in the face, causing him to finally let go in favor of clutching his more than likely broken nose.

Kaien sighed and walked away. _"I wish Miyako-chan was here, she can actually control Kukaku."_

* * *

The town was closer than Naruto had though, only ten minutes away. It was strange though, the streets of the town were more crowded than even Konoha. It seemed like every single person who lived in the town and more were running around and hanging decorations of some sort, confusing the hell out of the blonde. _"What's with all the ruckus?"_

::Maybe it's a funeral.:: Benihime interrupted, while Naruto twirled said cane in one hand as he walked down the crowded streets.

"_How did you come to that conclusion?"_ Naruto gave the cane in his hand a look that clearly asked, 'are you crazy?'

::Hey, it's possible!::

"_Yeah, I'm certain that's why they're setting up games and balloons for. Everyone must be happy that someone died."_ Naruto thought back sarcastically, which was surprisingly hard to do.

::Fuck-off, it could be some famous criminal that died!:: Benihime continued, trying to defend herself.

"_.. That actually sounds possible when you think about it."_

::Really?::

"_No."_

::Screw you, dumbass!::

Naruto just chuckled quietly, only for a strong wind to blow his hat away. "Come on, really?" He whined, sighing loudly.

::Sucks for you!:: Benihime laughed out, getting a growl from the blonde.

Naruto ignored her and saw that his hat was caught in a wind chime on top of a small building. Jumping onto the building with a leap that only a ninja could pull off, he took his hat and dusted it off. _"Maybe wearing a hat isn't worth it."_ He noted as he put the green and white colored fabric back on his head back on his head.

::Then you'll go back to combing your hair?::

"_Like hell I will!"_ Naruto retorted, keeping his free hand on his hat so it does not blow away again. He then saw something through a window of a building across the street. _"Is that…"_ A huge smile came onto his face. _"Yoruichi-chan!"_

* * *

The Shihoin priestess paced around her hotel room, it turned out that the drug she made and gave to the guards was stronger than she thought. The doctor that Tessai called estimated that they would wake up in the afternoon of today. _"What did I even put in that drug anyway? It would be great if I could sell it."_ They, being Yoruichi and Tessai, had finally gotten Soi Fon to sleep, while Tessai guarded the rooms. _"Maybe I could leave again."_ A smile graced her lips as she thought about perfecting her still unnamed technique, but it slipped into a scowl. _"I'll have to be careful next time I use it, lest I hurt someone again… or worse."_ She shuttered at that thought. A sudden tapping sound made her look up and stop her pacing. _"That wasn't the door."_ The sound came again, and she followed it to see it was coming from the window, but did not see anyone outside. _"What the?"_ Moving towards the window, she opened it, only to see nothing out side. Being on the third floor, she looked down to see if anyone on street level threw a rock or something, but the young heiress could see no one in the crowded street looking in her direction. _"Huh, that's strange."_ She was about to close the window when something, or someone, dropped in front of her.

"Oha-" The person was cut off as Yoruichi, acting on instinct, threw her hand forward and nailed the person right in the nose. "… you (Ohayou: informal good morning)" The person finished, its voice slightly muffled by the young noblewoman's hand still caving his face in.

"Naruto? Is that you?" Yoruichi asked in surprise at seeing the boy again, who was currently hanging upside-down outside her window, one hand holding his hat on his head and the other holding a cane and raised in a wave.

"Yes." His voice was still muffled. "Now could you possibly remove your cute little hand from my face?"

"Huh? Oh, s-sorry!" She stuttered out, finally retracting her hand and blushing, whether it was from embarrassment or his compliment, if calling someone's fist cute was one, she did not know. "Oh Kami Naruto, your nose!" She had a look of horror on her face, as the boy's nose was bent at an odd angle, blood oozing out of it. But still being upside-down, the blood was flowing in the direction of his forehead. Slightly queasy at the sight of blood, Yoruichi tried to think of what to do. "I-I'll go get some bandages!" She stuttered out. Before she could walk away, a cane on her shoulder stopped her.

"Don't worry about it, Yoruichi-chan." Naruto said with a smile, which looked odd with blood coating his forehead and part of his hair already. "I heal fast anyway." In an act of impressive acrobatics, he flipped into the open window and landed on his feet inside her room. "Do you have a bathroom in here?"

"Y-Yeah, over there." She pointed to a door on the other side of the room.

"May I use it?"

"O-Of course." With a nod, Naruto went into the bathroom to wash off the blood, resetting his nose with a audible crunching sound, getting a flinch from both occupants of the room, though for different reasons.

Splashing water on his now bloodless face, Naruto grabbed a towel, drying off his skin, when he dropped the towel and looked in the mirror he nearly had a heart attack. _"What the?"_ His hair, while still spiky, had lost its brightness, becoming so pale it was almost white. His eyes, once electric blue, had also dulled to a point that they looked gray. Even his skin had lost its tan complexion that seemed required for all ninja, now only slightly tanner than snow. While his skin did not look unnatural, it seemed alien to Naruto. The most surprising thing though was that the birthmarks that once adorned his cheeks, much like whiskers, were gone completely. To anyone, hell even to himself, Naruto looked like a completely different person. _"Benihime, what the fuck is going on?"_ He thought to his sword as he lightly trailed his hand lightly over where his whisker-like marks used to be.

::What? You mean that you didn't notice?:: The sword asked back, sounding confused.

"_Notice what?"_

::When you took me out of you, your body couldn't handle it, as I was what kept a good deal of your bodily functions running over the years. As such, it would be a lot like if you died, cells stopped being produced as fast as they had been. As for the whisker marks, they were there because of me, so with me no longer there, the marks disappeared as well. By the time you visited the little monkey, you were only slightly paler. By the time you met the purple-haired chick, you looked slightly different then you do now, but you shouldn't grow anymore paler if I had to guess.::

"_I always thought that the marks were just Kami's way of irony."_

::Nope.::

"_Is it possible for me to die from the resealing?"_ Naruto asked, slightly afraid.

::At this point? No.:: Naruto let out a sigh of relief. ::But…:: The boy stiffened. ::… Nah, I'm just kidding, you're perfectly fine.::

The pale blonde growled lowly. _"Bitch."_ He put his hat back on, after taking it off so as not to get it wet, and went back to the main room of the hotel, seeing Yoruichi sitting on the bed and looking away from him. "Well then, as I was saying before." He spoke, getting her to look at his. "Ohayo!" He lifted a hand in a wave, a kind smile on his face.

Yoruichi looked confused for a moment before she gave a small smile back. "Ohayo, Naruto." She said, sounding depressed.

"Hey what's wrong?" He asked, concern evident in his voice as he sat on the bed beside her.

Yoruichi let out a humorless laugh. "We've met a total of two times, both times I nearly killed you."

"How could you punching me kill me?" The pale blonde asked in confusion.

"You could have fallen."

Naruto thought about it, then shuttered at that thought. He did not want to find out if he could survive falling head first onto a concrete street from three stories. Nevertheless, he smiled at the girl. "And both times it was an accident, I just hope you don't make a habit out of it." He chuckled, but she did not smile back, opting to stare at her feet. While Naruto never was good with girls, he knew how to make someone smile, the quickest way was to get them to laugh, but that already failed. So, onto plan B. "Hey, I know." She glanced at him without turning her head away from her apparently interesting feet. "For nearly killing me, you have to have breakfast with me." He asked, mentally checking to see if he had enough money for two.

Yoruichi's head snapped up faster than what seemed possible. "A-Are you asking m-me out on a d-d-d-." She swallowed hard, trying to form the word. "A d-date?"

"What?" He asked in mock surprise, making a show out of it by putting a hand over where his heart it, as if he was offended by the question. "Of course not." Now he was faking being upset. "I wouldn't even think of it. I just don't like eating alone." He turned away and closed his eyes. "That is of course, unless you don't want too." He cracked open an eye, a small yet visible smirk on his lips.

The Shihoin could not help it, she laughed, covering her mouth with her sleeved hand like she was always taught to, not that she laughed often. "Alright, actor-boy." She said once her laugh subsided, looking at the still smirking Naruto. "I'll go, but you have to pay." She gave him a glare, one that Naruto could not tell if it was real or not.

"Why of course, milady." He said with a small bow, and Yoruichi had to fight against her natural impulses to start acting like a noble, again, like she was always taught. "I wouldn't think of it any other way." With that he grabbed Benihime, who he left leaning against the wall. "Let's go."

Yoruichi stood as well, only to see the pale blonde opening the window. "The window?" She asked in confusion. While she could easily use chakra to jump from building to building and keep her from getting hurt from such a fall, it still seemed odd. "Why don't we just use the door like civilized people?"

"Because I'm not one." He responded as he sat on the windowsill, one hand holding his hat on his head, the other holding his cane. The Shihoin heiress rolled her eyes, but walked over to him, stopping just out of reach, still apprehensive about it. Seeming to see this, Naruto smiled and extending his hand to her. "Trust me. I'm a person you won't regret believing in, that's a promise, and I always keep my promises."

Yoruichi smiled back, she just could not help it when she saw that reassuring look in his calm gray eyes. _"A strange boy indeed."_

* * *

Soi Fon opened her eyes with a quiet yawn, quickly looking around the room for anything out of place. Seeing nothing she quickly sat up. She shared the room with the team of four Kumo-nin sent by the Raikage, only one was a female, not that it mattered to Soi Fon. All of the guards were still knocked out from whatever drug the would-be assassin had used, though they should wake up soon enough. She got dressed, knowing that no one conscious was in the room, and left to find Tessai guarding patiently in the hallway. The man glanced at her, giving a small nod before turning back to watching the halls.

"How is Yoruichi-sama?" Soi Fon asked, standing next to the man.

"She is anxious to leave." He stated the Fon member gave him a look that was a mix of skepticism and disbelief. "I have known her longer than you have, it is fairly simple to see her emotions." He explained, but Soi Fon did not lower her look.

"I have never seen Yoruichi-sama show any form of even the slightest emotion, yet you say she shows them all the time." She started to narrow her eyes. She had guarded the Shihoin noblewoman for nearly three years, if Yoruichi-sama ever showed emotion then she should have seen it at least once.

"Of course not, she is very good at hiding them." Tessai stated in a way that made it sound obvious. Soi Fon opened her mouth to retort, but Tessai spoke again. "What do you think Yoruichi is?"

"That's Yoruichi-_sama _." Soi Fon hissed out, now glaring at the man.

"Contrary to what you may believe, she does not like being called that. In fact, she _loathes_ it. But that does not answer my question, what do you think Yoruichi is?" He asked again, still not looking at the angered girl.

"What do you mean 'what is she'? She is Shihoin Yoruichi." While she did sound angry, if you listened closely you could hear the confusion in her voice.

"I mean what do you classify her as? An animal? A machine?"

"What? No!" Soi Fon yelled back, still confused and angry.

"Then what is she?" Tessai finally turned to look at the girl, who did not know how to answer a question like that. "The answer is human."

"Human?" Soi Fon muttered back, her anger being taken over by her curiosity and confusion.

"Yes." The teenager shifted slightly, probably to become more comfortable. "The Yoruichi you know of is a machine with no emotion, an animal with no purpose." Soi Fon began to yell at him, but he ignored it. "And that is all a mask." That stopped the girl mid-rant, confusing and shocking her. "The Yoruichi _I_ know, the one behind the mask, is like every other girl her age. She laughs, she smiles, she cries, she yells, she even tells jokes and pulls pranks. The only difference between her and the other girls her age is that she is lonely. So lonely that she sometimes forces herself to laugh, just to know what it feels like. But even then, I have never once heard her truly laugh in the years I have known her."

"W-Wha-You're lying!" Soi Fon managed to stutter out. "I-If that were t-true then why have I never seen her do any of this?" The Fon member actually showed something that was almost never seen on her face; fear.

"She doesn't trust you."

Soi Fon instinctively took a step back, his eyes seemed to be looking into her very soul. "W-Why wouldn't she trust me?" She shouted back, not noticing her own stuttering. "I would give my life for her if need be!" She clenched her fists, either in anger or disbelief, one could only guess. Her whole life, since the talk with her grandfather, she pledged her loyalty to the Shihoin heiress and promised to do whatever necessary for Yoruichi-sama to survive and be happy, but to be told that the person who you revolved your life around did not trust you, it was unbelievable.

"You know Shihoin Yoruichi, heiress and last of the Shihoin clan. The emotionless noble of Kumogakure no Sato whom eats, sleeps, and breaths with fear of someone sneaking up on her to kill her, being as helpless as she is. Not that she shows her fear. Is all of this correct?" Before the girl could even form a sentence, Tessai continued. "The Yoruichi I know, the _real_ Yoruichi is the eleven year-old-girl, with the only thing she hates more than being called sama, is being called sama by multiple people in unison. She is much different then the girl you know. She is the kind of person who would wake up in the morning, punch who or whatever it was that woke her up, alarm clocks and myself included, go to breakfast and practically swallow the meal whole, leave the house, cursing loudly if she got lost, and going to a secluded location to train until exhaustion. She would then lay down where she stood until she could move again, usually falling asleep, then getting up and training some more. I know this Yoruichi because she trusts me enough to let me see it."

Soi Fon was silent, having the world you knew destroyed would do that to a person. She just stared at the ground with wide eyes. "…Why are you telling me this?" She finally asked, not looking up.

Tessai seemed to mull it over before he answered. "Besides myself, you are the person who has spent the most time with her. I just thought it was right for you to know the real her, she needs a friend."

"You say that like she doesn't have any." Soi Fon noted, only to be met with silence. Her head snapped up. "S-She does have friends… right?" Again, Tessai said nothing, just staring back at the girl. Soi Fon quickly went through her memories, but try as she might she could not think of a single person who might be a friend of Yoruichi-sama. "What about you?" She said with a little hope. "You're her friend, right?"

"… In a way, yes, but we are not as close as friends should be. As I said before, I have never been able to make her laugh, a true laugh that is." He replied, sounding depressed.

Having enough, Soi Fon went past Tessai, the man making no move to stop her, and reached for the door to Yoruichi's room. Turning the knob, she found it to be unlocked. She threw the door open. "Yoruichi-sama!" Only to be met with an empty room. "Yoruichi-sama!" She called again, but still got no response. "She's gone." She said, more to herself.

"I figured as much." Tessai said, not sounding surprised at all.

Soi Fon turned on the man, eyes ablaze with anger. "You knew?" She shouted as she grabbed Tessai by the collar of his coat, somehow lifting him off the ground despite not even being at his shoulders in height. "You knew she left?" She continued to yell, not waiting for him to answer. "Why did she leave? Did someone take her?" This time, Tessai nodded, much to Soi Fon disbelief, which quickly turned to anger. "How could you just let someone take her?"

"I heard her laugh."

"What does that have to-" She stopped yelling, finally processing his words. "… Laughed?" Tessai nodded again, finally being lowered to the ground. "H-How?"

"Yesterday, Yoruichi wanted to go train, I being the only one who knew she had any shinobi skill went with her."

"The guards?" Soi Fon asked, though she only looked like she was half listening.

"Yoruichi snuck into there rooms and, from what she told me, tied them up, locked their room, and drugged them to keep them from taking their shift and allowing you to come looking for her." He gave her a moment to take in the information before continuing. "While we were out training we met someone, a boy who is a year or so older than her. Do to… circumstances, they began to talk. While I was suspicious, in less than a minute of talking he accomplished the one thing I never could." Soi Fon seemed to slowly realize what he meant. "She laughed. She laughed so hard that it caused her pain and she began to cry… That was the laugh I heard coming from the room about twenty minutes ago." He then had a faraway look in his eyes. "When they met last time, they talked for more than an hour. During that entire time, I don't think I ever saw her _not_ smile. I have no doubt that the boy somehow found her and took her away." He paused and looked back at Soi Fon. "She'll be back, don't worry." Soi Fon fidgeted, seeing this, Tessai sighed. "If you wish to go look for her, I _may_ have overheard them saying they were going to get something to eat. They should still be in town." Not needing to hear anymore, Soi Fon rushed past, only to stop, reluctantly, when Tessai called her again. "If you want to see the real Yoruichi, challenge her to a spar." Soi Fon looked back, surprise being the only thing seen on her face. Tessai smirked, as if laughing at an internal joke. "Just trust me, out of the few times I've seen Yoruichi smile, it was in a spar, she always enjoys them. Also, if you want to see something spectacular, ask to see the technique she made, it doesn't have a name yet."

Soi Fon took a moment for her brain to absorb everything, so she just nodded and continued down the hallway, out of the hotel.

* * *

We now go to the war-torn island country of Uzu no Kuni, which once held the Village Hidden Among the Whirling Tides, a cliff that rose from the ocean to become the side of the island. Waves crashed against the cliff, going more than halfway up the hundred foot tall mass of rock. On top of the cliff stood a single person, a young man. He looked out to the sea, able to vaguely see the dark mass that was the mainland. Normally, someone would not even be able to see that much from where he was standing, but with his eyes, he could see much better than most people. His eyes were blood red, three coma-like marks known as tomoe circled each pupil slowly. He had a light frown on his face.

"You can come out, Nemu." The young man said without turning around. Soon enough, a girl, about fourteen by the looks of it, came out from behind a tree in the forest that lined the cliff. She had raven colored hair tied into a long braid that ran down her back. She was garbed in black kimono that stopped halfway down her thighs and had a red chocker around her neck. Her emerald green eyes showed no visible surprise, or any emotion for that matter, at being discovered. "Why were you hiding?" The man asked, still not turning away from the mainland.

"I was not." She replied, walking forward to stand next to the young man.

"You're a bad liar." He said, still not looking away from the mainland.

"I do not find that relevant." Nemu replied, also looking into the distance, not that she could see anything besides water. "You are worried about her, are you not?"

"Are you?" The man shot back.

"No."

"She's your sister."

"I do not see the connection." The girl still showed no emotion.

The young man finally turned to her and his crimson eyes seemed to pierce her soul, but if she noticed, she did not show it. "I thought I told you before." The man said, getting Nemu to glance at him. "You're a bad liar."

"Yet you have failed to answer the question yourself." Nemu countered. The two had a brief staring contest before they turned back to the ocean.

"… I do worry." The young man finally said, getting no visible reaction from Nemu. "I do not know if she is strong enough to take care of herself if things go south."

"Onee-san will be fine." Nemu says, still showing no emotion. "Logically, nothing can go wrong with the mission. She is to speak with the ninja from the rebel faction of the Kiri civil war. As there should only be two, with her being alone, it is unlikely that they will make any rash actions out of fear. The conversation will then proceed to how we may assist them, within our own terms of reason."

"The problem is that all of that relies on one thing." Nemu remained silent, waiting for him to continue. "They need to think logically."

"I do not see a problem with that, Itachi-Taicho." The man turned and began to walk away from the cliff and into the forest.

"Humans never think logically."

* * *

"… And I ended up all the way across town with a mob of fan girls chasing after me." Naruto finished his story. He was sitting across from Yoruichi, who was wearing another robe, this one being a mint green with white feathers spread along the back. The two were sitting at a table next to a window at a restaurant near the center of the town. They had ordered drinks and were waiting for them to arrive. Naruto decided to tell the Shihoin about an incident that happened back when he was back in the ninja academy. Said girl was shaking in her seat with her head bowed, trying to hold back her laughter. "Never again will I Henge (Transformation) into Sasuke _ever_ again." Yoruichi put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from laughing out loud.

Soi Fon, who had just past the two on the street and saw them through the window, stopped behind Yoruichi when she saw the two. _"So that's the guy?"_ She took note of the cane he held, if he needed that to walk around it was unlikely he was a ninja, thus not a treat. She then saw Yoruichi's trembling form, her hand covering her face. _"That bastard's making her cry!"_ She realized, oh she would not take that. She rushed to the entrance of the restaurant and entered. Ignoring the waiter, she headed straight for the table, Yoruichi still facing away from her.

She heard the guy she was planning to beat into a bloody pulp speak again. "Especially when I don't know where he is to get those beings of hell to chase him instead." Yoruichi's trembling increased and she gripped the table with the hand not on her face. Soi Fon saw red and was almost to the table. The boy then looked at Yoruichi with mock fear. "You're not a fan girl, are you?" His fake tone of voice sounded afraid of the answer.

It started as a chuckle, but soon Yoruichi was laughing loud enough that it resonated throughout the restaurant. A few people turned to look at them, but figured that it was a young couple out on a date, and a rather successful one from the looks of it. Some then noticed the slightly younger looking girl who was standing a couple feet away and unmoving, staring at the two. Again, those that saw Soi Fon all concluded the same thing; ex-girlfriend. Soon everyone was back to whatever they were doing before hand, though the women were silently happy for the young couple, the men were fearful for the boy when his ex decided to move again, some even prayed for his safety, saying he was too young to die, and far too lucky, having a beautiful woman sitting with him.

Yoruichi, whose loud laughter had died down to a barely audible chuckle, had a embarrassed blush on her face from all the people who stared at her. She kept her sleeved hand over her mouth, more to cover her blush than laughter now, and used her other hand to lightly smack the blonde across from her on the arm. "Do I look like a fan girl to you?" She asked, still chuckling. Naruto opened his mouth, but closed it and looked away, as if afraid to answer. Yoruichi gaped at him. "I do not look like a fan girl." She said, though she had a playful smile still on.

Naruto held his arms up in a surrendering fashion. "I never said that you did." He said with a light smirk.

"But you were suggesting it." The heiress pointed at him for emphasis.

"I didn't suggest anything." He lowered his hands and Yoruichi did not retort. "… But I did not deny anything either." Yoruichi took another swipe at him, but he leaned back avoiding it. "Ha ha, wha-" He was cut off as the purple haired girl kicked his leg, getting a painful groan from the boy. "… Okay, I probably deserved that."

Yoruichi gave a triumphant smirk. "Damn right you did."

Naruto gave a half-hearted glare as he caressed his injured leg. He then took notice to the person standing to Yoruichi's right and slightly behind. "Oh, hello. Wait, you're not our waiter."

"No." The person, a girl said, Yoruichi froze at the sound of her voice, concerning Naruto. "I am not your waiter, my name is Soi Fon."

Yoruichi swallowed the saliva that had formed in her mouth. "How long have you been there, Soi Fon." She said, not looking at the girl or adding the 'san' like she usually did.

"I could hear your conversation just before you started… laughing." Soi Fon said. She then glanced at the rather pale looking boy that saw her. "And what is your name, Tessai-san did not give me one when he mentioned you." Yoruichi's eyes widened more at hearing this.

"_Not good!"_ Yoruichi thought. _"If she knows that Naruto-kun is a ninja it would only make things harder. At least his hat hides his headband."_ Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but Yoruichi spoke instead. "Kisuke." She blurted out, getting a confused look from Naruto, not that anyone could see it with his hat shadowing his eyes. Yoruichi did not meet his gaze, instead looking at the restaurant menu, the front of which had something called the Garfish Special. She then tried to think of a good word to describe Naruto. "Urahara Kisuke." She finally said.

(**AN:** Kisu (from Kisuke) means garfish, while Urahara means opposite, contrary, or reverse)

Naruto arced an eyebrow at this, but did not speak up, especially when Yoruichi gave him a warning glare that told him to do exactly that. He then turned his gaze to Soi Fon, who still stood behind Yoruichi. "Would you like to join us, Soi Fon?" Said girl was taken back by this but nodded anyway, pulling up a third seat and sitting at the small round table. An uncomfortable silence fell over the three, only broken by Yoruichi after five minutes.

"Soi Fon." The younger girl looked at her. "You said that Tessai mentioned Na- Kisuke here. What exactly did he say?"

"… That he made you laugh."

"Is that so surprising?" Naruto asked, not fully understanding the gravity of the situation. "I'm good at getting people to smile. Easiest way to do that is to get them to laugh." He took a sip of the drink the waiter brought some time ago, but it seemed that neither of the girls noticed its arrival.

Taking a moment to think those words over, Soi Fon took a deep breath. "He, Tessai that is, also told me that I should ask you to… spar with me." She said, looking at Yoruichi, who could not meet her gaze.

The young noblewoman sighed. "Well, cat's out of the bag already." With that she stood and made her way to the exit.

"Hey." Yoruichi stopped at Naruto's call and turned to him. "You gonna' finish that?" He held her untouched drink up for her, a small smile on his face. "If you're going to get in a fight, you need energy, and nothing boosts you up like…" Forgetting what she ordered, he looked into the cup he still held, raising an eyebrow when he saw its contents. "Milk?" He looked at her questioningly.

"You got a problem with milk?" She asked in an annoyed tone, but you could hear the underlying joking nature.

"No but you should still drink it." When she still did not take the cup, he rolled his eyes. "Hey, I'm paying for it, it's the least you can do." Though his eyes were still shadowed by his hat, it was easy to see his kind smile.

"Fine." The purple-haired girl finally took the cup, turning and walking out the restaurant, followed by Soi Fon and Naruto after he left the appropriate amount of money. Naruto was actually limping as he moved, using Benihime as a 'walking stick' as said sword called it, cursing at him and telling him to stop. While the three were walking down the street with Soi Fon in front and Naruto and Yoruichi walking side-by-side a few feet behind her. The heiress noticed the pale blonde's limping and looked at him confused. "Why are you walking like that?" She whispered to him so that Soi Fon could not hear. "You were fine yesterday."

"Remember in the restaurant when I asked if you were a fan girl?" He whispered back.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"You kick hard."

* * *

Back in Konohagakure no Sato, an ANBU with a cricket mask entered the village library. Silently, as only a ninja could do, he moved to the desk with the librarian sitting behind it, reading files of some sort. "Excuse me." The ANBU said, getting the man's attention.

"What can I help you with, Kuriketto-san?" The librarian asked, quickly getting over his shock, as ANBU rarely ever came to the public library.

"I was wondering if you had a section on Fuinjutsu." The ANBU asked, though it was hard to tell if he actually cared or not by just listening to his voice.

"We do, but it's cleaned out." The man said with a small smile.

"Explain." You could actually imagine the ANBU's confused look.

"We had quite a large section due to donations, but a young boy took almost all the scrolls we had." The librarian shuffled through documents on his desk. After a minute or so, he found the one he was looking for. "Here we go! Yes, they were given to…" He scanned the document. "Uzumaki Naruto, Genin." He then put the document down and focused back on the ANBU. "Is there anything else you need, Kuriketto-san?"

The ANBU did not move in the slightest, his face being unreadable through the porcelain mask. "Yes." He finally said after a minute or so of silence. "Can you direct me where this young Uzumaki lives?"

* * *

Naruto gazed at the sun with a small frown. It was already noon. "Yoruichi-chan." He said, stopping in his walk, prompting the two girls to do the same, Soi Fon looked surprised at the suffix he used, but said nothing. "I need to go do something before the day is over, and I don't think I'll be around tomorrow." He saw her frown lightly, but he gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, we'll see each other again soon." He then leaned forwards and whispered into her ear. "I won't ask why you gave me a fake name, or even how you know Soi Fon here. I'll probably see you when you get to Konoha, I might ask you then. Now promise me one thing will you?"

"Um, sure." She said, a little uncertain about what he would possibly want.

"Kick her ass." It was easy to hear the smile in his voice as he stood straight and began to walk away, still limping and using Benihime as a cane. "I trust you enough to do that, Yoruichi-chan!" He called over his shoulder as he walked away from the two. "We're friends after all, right?"

The young noblewoman could not help but smile. "Right, and you better mean it that we will meet again, Kisuke!" She called back.

As Naruto was facing away from the two, they could not see his ever-growing smile. "Of course we will, dattebayo!"

* * *

::Oi! Stop using me as a fucking walking stick!:: Benihime continued to yell as Naruto limped through the town.

"_Yoruichi-chan kicks hard. My leg is in pain. You are a cane. Deal with it, will you."_ Naruto thought back. _"Now help me find a good place to draw the seal."_

::You just passed one, dumbass!:: Naruto stopped and looked around, he heard Benihime sigh as he did not see what she was talking about. ::The alleyway… to your right… your other right!::

"_But that's left."_

::No it's not!::

"… _Oh yeah."_

::Fucking idiot.:: Benihime murmured, getting a growl from Naruto. ::Just hurry up!::

"_Fine, fine, stop bitching already."_ He limped down the alley, soon taking a turn and exiting into a courtyard. It was square shaped with tall building, possibly houses, surrounding all sides, the only entrance being the alley he just came from. The ground was smooth concrete with a few tuffs of grass sticking up in a few places. The whole area was roughly twenty by twenty feet, with no one around to watch. "Perfect, thank you, Benihime."

::You're welcome.::

Naruto rolled up his left sleeve, showing various seals along its whole length. _"Got to love Storage Seals. They're practically child's play compared to what I've been doing lately and can go on any surface."_ Running chakra into one of the dozens of seals, his frog-like wallet puffed out. _"Oops, wrong one."_ Sealing it back, he chose another seal, this one revealing his house keys. _"Nope."_ The next was a cup of instant ramen. _"When did that get in there… Oh well, I never had breakfast anyway."_ Setting the cup on the ground, he unsealed the next item, revealing a scroll with the kanji 'Sealing Stuff' written on it. _"Here we go."_ He then pulled the collar of his shirt down to show another seal on his right bicep. Touching it, a familiar scroll came out. _"And Mito-obaa-san's scroll."_

Sitting on the hard concrete ground, he unrolled the 'Sealing Stuff' scroll, showing even more Storage Seals. He had used up all of the ink he had bought before already, so he bought two dozen more bottles before he left Konoha. While it cost a lot, he was planning for the bottles to last a good few months. But with the size of the Chakra Key seal being, he would be lucky if had enough ink as it is. He then unrolled Mito's scroll to the picture of the chosen seal. Taking the inkbottles and brushes out of the first scroll, he added the correct amount of blood to the ink.

"It's going to be a long day." He said, guessing that it was about two in the afternoon by where the sun was. He had to be back in Konoha by noon tomorrow. "Better get started." Setting Benihime on the ground beside him, he stood up with a little trouble from his injured leg. Putting his fingers in a cross-shaped seal, he smirked as he used his favorite jutsu. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!"

* * *

Yoruichi and Soi Fon stood across from one another in a clearing, the same clearing that was earlier destroyed by the Shihoin priestess, not that Soi Fon knew that was where the trench came from. They were both panting and sweating. Yoruichi had discarded her robe to reveal her training gi.

"You should stop taking me so lightly, Soi Fon." Yoruichi said between pants, a wide smile on her face.

"_She really is a different person when she's in a fight."_ Soi Fon thought, thoroughly amazed. She had held back when the fight first started, but quickly had to fight harder until she was going all out. The Shihoin heiress, while not very good at Taijutsu and having no true form or skill and very little experience, was impossibly fast. The only reason Soi Fon was still conscious was because of instinct and pure luck, she could not even see Yoruichi move half the time, only a blur.

"Shall we continue?" Yoruichi asked. Both of them were hardly able to move and practically starved. To continue to fight would be like asking to fall into a coma from overexertion.

"Damn right we will!" Soi Fon shouted back, she had not had a fight like this one in a long time and the battle-high was beginning to get to her.

Yoruichi's smile widened. "Alright then."

The Shihoin heiress disappeared in a burst of speed, but Soi Fon was ready for this. Ducking down, she spun and kicked up where Yoruichi stopped, surprising the noble slightly, but she dodged anyway. Grabbing the outstretched foot, Yoruichi raised it to bring Soi Fon into a full split, hoping to disorient her. Not bothered in the slightest, Soi Fon shifted and threw a punch that Yoruichi grabbed in one hand while the other still held her foot. Throwing her hands up, Yoruichi tossed her opponent backwards and launched a kick, catching Soi Fon in the stomach. The petite girl coughed, Yoruichi really did kick hard. Flipping backwards, Soi Fon went into a handstand and pushed off the ground, Yoruichi passing under her in an attempted slide kick. Shifting in midair, Soi Fon went into an axe-kick. Yoruichi crossed her arms over her, grunting when the kick met her guard. Quickly grabbing the offending leg once more, the Shihoin spun and threw Soi Fon in a random direction. The petite girl landed on her feet and skidded to a stop.

The two girls stopped and panted, staring at each other. Not once during the whole exchange did Yoruichi lose her smile. A minute of silence passed, neither moving, before Soi Fon fell onto one knee, unable to stand. She soon collapsed on the ground, still panting. Yoruichi slowly walked over the younger girl, holding her right arm that blocked the worst of the axe-kick, and sat beside her. Neither of them could move much anymore, having sparred for upwards of thirty minutes.

"That was the best spar I ever had." Yoruichi said, getting the other girl to look at her from her position on the ground. "The only other person I ever had to spar with was Tessai, and he isn't that good at Taijutsu." Soi Fon tried to nod in understanding, but found she did not have enough energy to do even that. The sky began to darken as the sun set. "We should probably get back before the other guards wake up."

"Can't *pant* move *pant* Yoruichi-sama." Soi Fon managed to say.

The noblewoman just chuckled. "Well, that's going to be a problem. And by the way, just Yoruichi." Soi Fon looked at her with wide eyes. "I still got to keep up appearances so call me that when others are around. But, if it's ever just us or Tessai or Kisuke, just call me Yoruichi." She gave the younger girl a smile, something that was getting common for Soi Fon to see. "Okay?"

"O-Okay." Soi Fon stuttered out, this was a very odd day.

"Now then." Yoruichi said as she stood up. "We're probably going to Konoha tomorrow, so we both need to catch some Z's." She then bent down and grabbed the younger girl's collar, much to Soi Fon's confusion. "So let's get you home, shall we?" She then hoisted Soi Fon into the air with a small grunt, and draped her over her shoulder, carrying the younger girl in a fireman's carry.

"Y-Yoruichi-sama!" Soi Fon screamed out, trying to break out of the hold. "W-What are you d-doing?"

"What's it look like?" The Shihoin asked, picking her robe off the ground and rolled it up to hold under her arm that was not currently occupied by the protesting girl. "I'm taking you back to hotel."

"B-But what if someone sees us?" The younger girl asked as she was carried in the direction of town.

"Well then they can stare all they want." Not waiting for Soi Fon to speak again, she continued. "And they _will_ stare, who wouldn't?"

"W-What do you mean?" The black-haired girl asked in confusion.

Yoruichi chuckled. "Just look at us. One hot girl carrying another, both sweating and panting heavily."

Soi Fon blushed at the implications. "Y-Yoruichi-sama!"

"Hey, what did I say about you calling me that?" The purple-haired girl questioned in an annoyed tone. "Call me Yoruichi."

"I can't do that!" Soi Fon shouted as they were nearing the town and the sun had completely disappeared over the horizon. "You are my master, I cannot call you something so disrespectful!"

Yoruichi laughed loudly at that. "Fine, you may not get it now, but soon I will break you out of that habit." If Soi Fon could see the sinister grin on the heiress's face, she would have known of the trouble she was getting herself into.

* * *

Naruto stood in the very center of his newly drawn array, Benihime in one hand while the other held his hat in place. The array covered the entirety of the four hundred square foot courtyard. The moon had already passed through the sky, midnight having come and gone. He had used up all two dozen bottles of ink, and then had to send a clone to go buy more. While the seal was finished just after night had fallen, he spent hours double, triple, and even quadruple checking every little detail. He found a few mistakes, but they were easily fixed. For the Array Storage, he had redrawn it over the one that held the Soul Separating and Soul Survival Increase, this way he could activate all three at once if he wanted too, not that he had any need to do so at the moment.

Raising Benihime over his head, he slammed the cane down in the very center of the large array with a resonating 'clack'. The large seal began to glow as he pushed chakra into it and the wind began to pick up.

"Fuinjutsu: Arei Kakoi (Sealing Technique: Array Storage)!" He called out.

The large seal seemed to peel of the ground like a sticker, before spinning in a clockwise direction with the cane as the center, making it seem like a tornado of ink. The spinning seal array slowly shrunk until it disappeared under the cane. The wind died down and Naruto let out a relieved sigh.

"Well, glad that's over."

::Oi, I don't feel any different!:: Benihime shouted, sounding annoyed.

"You're not supposed to feel different." Naruto said as grabbed the cane with both hands and slowly unsheathed the sword, watching the blade flicker in the moonlight like the night before. "That was the easy part, I was simply storing the seal like I did the others." Laying the blade on the ground while still holding the scabbard, he looked at the bottom of the wood to see the strangely shaped skull that was the Array Storage seal. Having a rather random idea, he took out a brush and lightly dipped it in the bottle next to him. He shook off most of the ink, lightening the color. He then drew around the image of the skull, being careful not to touch the seal. "There we go." He said, putting the brush away. The skull was now had a background of black flames, which were outlined with blue.

::Yeah, it's great, now could you tell me what was the point in doing the whole light show?::

"Simple, making it easier to do… this!" He then slammed the newly edited skull image onto the sword that lay on the ground, right over where the invisible Demon Sealing Swirl was. A burst of light started to radiate off the blade, followed by sparks of lightning and the wind, though stronger now. "This is the one that, if I got it wrong, we both die!" Naruto shouted over the roaring wind with a slightly sadistically smile on his face.

::I still don't feel any-HOLY SHIT I'M ON FIRE!:: Benihime shouted out as well. ::KAMI THAT _HURTS_!::

"And here it comes, my friend!" Naruto shouted once more, pouring even more chakra into the seal, causing the glow to strengthen.

::STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!::

"To late! Fuinjutsu: Chakura Hiketsu (Sealing Technique: Chakra Key)!"

* * *

Aizen Sosuke watched from the edge of town as the sky lit up, but it quickly died down. A few people saw it, but none seemed to worry probably thinking that it was a fireworks malfunction… again.

"Aizen-sama." The cricket-masked ANBU landed behind the man, kneeling once more. "I believe I have found who possesses the scroll."

The man looked over his shoulder with a curious gaze. "Who then?"

"Uzumaki Naruto. But it is not in his apartment."

Sosuke took on a thoughtful look. "Most likely keeping it on his person. But that name sounds familiar… is he a famous ninja?"

"No sir. He is a Genin, fresh out of the academy." The ANBU replied.

Sosuke frowned. "Odd, could have sworn I have heard that somewhere before, maybe he was named after another Uzumaki I've met before." He shook it off. "No matter. Kaname, there is a festival coming up in this very town. If I had to guess I would say that many people would come to see it. It will be perfect to get new specimens."

"When is the festival?"

"In three days. It is the thirteenth annual Tasukaru no Dei (Day of Survival)." Sosuke said with a slight chuckle.

Kaname raised an eyebrow behind his mask. "An odd name." He noted.

"Yes, quite." Sosuke said, pushing his glasses up with a single finger as they gleamed in the town lights. "It was named so as Otafuku Gai was the only major town in Hi no Kuni that took no damage from the incident thirteen years ago." Kaname put the pieces together, silently nodding before disappearing like only a ninja could do. The bespectacled man could not help but let his thoughts slip as he looked over the town. "I wonder why the Kyuubi no Kitsune spared Otafuku Gai anyway."


	5. Our Festival

**AN: **I updated DON'T KILL ME... pwease?

First order of business, I am... well I can't say happy but I did receive my first flame... yay? I was depressed far all of 4.62 seconds... and then I got sick and nearly had to go to the hospital because I was throwing up so much... I hate being sick. Then I lost my entire train of thought for this chapter and only got it back yesterday. I them spent all of yesterday and today writing it.

Second, this chapter is almost twice as long as usual! Where I usually end at the 9,000-10,000 mark, this one went all the way to 18,000! Whoohoo!

Third, everyone who mentioned my question about Bankai said yes... I think that makes my choice obvious... unless I decide to suddenly become a jackass and disagree with all of you, which probably won't happen anytime soon.

Forth, as brought up by **Jicea**, when I said Yoruichi/Soi Fon relation, I did NOT mean yuri. I don't even know what other parings (If any) I'll put in here except for Naruto/Kisuke & Yoruichi

Fifth, this chapter is mainly concentrated on the more minor characters and fight scenes. And, being how I'm a bit rusty at fight scenes, they will either be EPIC... or a complete and utter failure.

Sixth, (I'm putting a lot of AN's this time) Because I love Isaribi (Filler character if you don't know) and I find that she is just awesome, she will be at least a somewhat major character, live with it

Seventh, I put a flashback in here for no reason whatsoever and I was bored, you can skip it if you want as it holds no real point to the story. I just wanted to put my own twist on the famous "Tsunade almost kills Jiraiya"

Eighth, I tried to make/find Jutsu that in my opinion fit with the bleach characters. if you have any kind of suggestion, please feel free to offer it and it will be considered. Any and all flames will be read and see if they break the previous and only current record of how long I stay depressed from it.

Ninth, the ending of this chapter is going to confusing, I did that on purpose. All will (hopefully) be answered in the next chapter.

If you haven't already guessed:

::Benihime Talking::  
"Jutsu Being Used (Translation)!"

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**Our Festival**

Soi Fon yawned tiredly, groggily opening her eyes to see the ceiling of the hotel room she shared with the other guards, sans Tessai. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before the memories of yesterday flooded back. Her eyes snapped open and she abruptly sat up. Whipping her head around, she saw that no one else was in the room. Standing up and seeing that she was fully dressed, she bolted to the door and threw it open.

"Ah, Soi Fon-san, you're finally up, ey?" She heard a voice, which she placed to one of the guards. All four of which were standing in the hallway. "Was faster than I expected, you were sleeping better than the dead." He joked, getting snickers from the other guards.

"_But they were drugged!"_ Soi Fon screamed mentally, confused as to what was going on.

"Guards." A voice called from down the hall, getting five heads to turn in the direction, showing it was Tessai. "Now that everyone is awake, we should leave." With that the teenager turned a corner and disappeared from view.

The four shinobi walked away without any more coaxing needed. Soi Fon was frozen for a moment, confused. The guards did not even seem to know that they had been drugged. What was going on here? Taking a minute for her brain to reboot, Soi Fon quickly followed after the guards. Reaching the lobby of the hotel, the four guards, Tessai, and Yoruichi were waiting for her. One of the guards gave another joking complaint, but the petite girl ignored it. Tessai gave her a glance before moving to leave the building, the Shihoin heiress beside him. Yoruichi also spared the younger girl a glance, having the same emotionless face she was known for. The purple-haired girl and her bespectacled guard left the building, soon followed by the other guards and lastly a very confused Soi Fon.

"_Was it all a dream?"_ The young girl could not help but question, suddenly not knowing whether or not to believe that she had actually seen Yoruichi laugh, the guards drugged or if that Urahara kid was real. _"I'm so confused."_

* * *

"… _And now I'm hungry."_

As if to agree with him, Naruto's stomach growled loudly.

"_Shut it."_

We find our favorite pale blonde in the same courtyard he had drawn the seals in the day before, and then slept.

"_Oi, Benihime, ya there?"_ He mentally asked, knowing the sword would hear him. He looked at said blade, currently sheathed and appearing to be a cane in his hand. When he got no response, he became a combination of annoyed and worried. He was beginning to like the sword, despite how much she cursed and yelled at him. _"Hey, Benihime… you alright?"_ Still no response, now he was just worried. "Beni-"

::WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?::

The sudden roar in his head gave him a rather painful headache, causing him to drop the sword.

::THAT FUCKING HURT YOU DUMBASS!::

"_I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"_

::If I fucking ever hear you even suggest doing anymore seal related crap to me, I will find a way out of this hunk of metal and beat you scrawny ass silly. Do you understand?:: Benihime yelled out, though she was much quieter than before.

"Hai, Benihime."

::Good… little fucker.::

"So mean, Benihime." Naruto said, dejected. His bad mood disappeared in all of two seconds, shown by a sudden smile on his face. "Now to get back to training."

::I'm really starting to believe that you're bipolar.::

"I only got…" Looking at the position of the sun, he guessed it was about eight in the morning. "… Let's say three hours to train, leaving me one hour to get back home."

::Tell me you're not ignoring me again.::

"Well better get started, but I can't do it in the middle of town."

::For the sake of the dammed, you cannot be ignoring me again!::

"Guess it's back to the clearing I met Yoruichi-chan in." Hs smile suddenly disappeared and his head lowered again. "I may never see Yoruichi-chan again!" He cried out.

::Kami, you really are bipolar aren't you?::

"NO!" Naruto screamed out, fire burning in his eyes. For a second Benihime thought he was answering her question, but squashed that thought when he continued. "I WILL NOT BELIEVE THAT! AS FRIENDS, WE WILL MEET AGAIN! YOSH, TIME TO GO TRAIN, SO THAT I MAY SOONER BE REUNITED WITH THE LOVELY YORUICHI-CHAN!"

::… maybe he's tripolar… is there such a thing as that?::

"Now let's go!" Before he could take a single step, his stomach growled once more, followed by Naruto crying out, once again in a depressed like state. "I'm so hungry!"

::… defiantly tripolar.::

* * *

An hour and one meal later, Naruto can be found, once again in the partially destroyed clearing only this time he was meditating. Ever since he put Benihime into the sword via Soul Separation he had felt energy of some kind inside of him. It felt similar to Chakra, but different enough that he knew, as he put it, "I can use it in more ways to blow stuff up". Only problem was that he was certain that no one else had this energy, Reiatsu as the scroll dubbed it. So to figure out ways to use it Naruto had to think harder than usual, if he normally thought at all that is. Anyway, he was currently trying to bring out his new energy, but, since he had no idea how to do so he did what he normally does; trial-and-error.

Channeling the Reiatsu, with a small amount of difficulty, into a single finger and pointed in a random direction. He felt the buildup strengthening to the point it was becoming uncomfortable, but he just could not release it. Sweat rolled down his face as the pressure became painful. Gritting his teeth, the pale blonde decided to just wing it and throw as much Reiatsu into his still extended finger. In a burst of energy, it was all released… as a bright flash. The small burst of white light died down and Naruto's eyes quickly readjusted.

"Well that sucked." That pretty much summed it up.

::Dumbass.::

"_Hey, that was uncalled for!"_

::No, not really.:: Naruto was about to retort, but Benihime just cut him off. ::Do you even have an idea about how to properly call out the energy?::

"_Wasn't that what I was doing?"_ Now he was just confused. There was a strange sound that was much like someone slapping their palm into their forehead.

::Kami you're a dumbass.:: Came a slightly muffled response. ::Okay, how about this; how do you call on your Chakra?::

"_By moving it to a certain point of your body."_

Benihime let out an aggravated sigh. ::NO! That's how you _channel_ Chakra, like if you want to walk up a tree or something, but can you do use a jutsu by simply channeling Chakra to your feet?::

"_No, you have to do hand signs."_

::Finally, you got it!:: The boy grumbled in annoyance, but it was ignored. ::The reason you use hand signs is because the main Chakra output locations are in the fingers. While your Chakra pathways pass all throughout your body, allowing you to strengthen your muscles, walk up walls, make your voice louder, and so on, the main output is in your fingers. Because of this, you need hand signs to call a jutsu until, sometimes, you use the jutsu enough that you don't even need that, but the Chakra will still go out through your fingers.::

"_Hey, Benihime!"_ Naruto suddenly cut her off, much to the soul's annoyance.

::What, this better be important, jackass.::

"_Can you teach me jutsu?"_ The boy asked with a large smile on his face.

::Why the hell would I know any jutsu?::

His smile dropped and was replaced by a look of confusion. _"You don't know any?"_

::Of course not, I am _made_ of Chakra, how could I actually channel my own body, it's like asking you to channel your skin. The only reason I know how to channel Chakra is because I was _inside_ three humans, you included.::

"_Oh… That's gross."_

::Plus, human jutsu are all but useless to me when I could just step on someone.::

"_Can you just continue on with the explanation now?"_

::Fine, but no interrupting me, got it?:: At Naruto's nod, she continued. ::Now then, as I was saying, that is why you use hand sign to call out Chakra because the main outputs are in you fingers. For this new stuff, whatever the hell it is called, you have to find the main output of it in your body and find a way to call on it.::

"_Can't you just tell me where the output is?"_

::I'm not inside you anymore, dumbass. And when I was you didn't have this new crap flowing through you.::

"_Fine, let's see what we got."_ Taking a meditative state, the pale blonde to do as he was told, again, through trial-and-error.

While every person had a completely different Chakra Circulatory System, thus making it impossible to find another person's system without help from something like Dojutsu (Ocular Technique), it was relatively easy to find one's own system. It just took a while.

Naruto could find his Chakra pathways with relative ease, but he looked deeper for what he decided to call the Reiatsu Network. First, he found the source of the Reiatsu. Much like how the source of Chakra is below the stomach, he found the ball of energy that produced Reiatsu to be just above his heart. He found five main pathways, being thicker than the others, and dozens of smaller string-like pathways traveling along the chest and back area. He followed the main pathways, ignoring the smaller pathways for now. One pathway went down each arm, enlarging at the wrist and cutting off at the palms, but no main output. Another pathway went down each leg, enlarging at he heel and circling the bottom of the foot before stopping, still showing no output. If he had to guess, Naruto would say that when the pathways enlarged it would be easier to channel Reiatsu to go there. The fifth and final main pathway went upwards, towards the throat. It enlarged at the collarbone and cut off near the top of the throat, around the Adam's apple. But this one was different, unlike the four other main pathways where it just cut off, this one was more like a small fountain, slowly letting out small amounts of Reiatsu.

"_Looks like I found it."_ Naruto sighed in relief, it was always uncomfortable to sit in one place for too long, or maybe it was just him.

::Where is it?:: Benihime spoke after being silent for the past twenty minutes it took for Naruto to find what he needed.

"_Somewhere in my throat, just don't know exactly."_

::Tongue maybe?::

"_What could I possibly do with my tongue to call on Reiatsu?"_

::Then what do you think it is?:: She sounded annoyed.

"_Vocal cords maybe."_ The pale blonde answered, ignoring her tone. _"But what, am I supposed to sing or something? If I am then I'm just giving this up right now and going back to Chakra."_

::Why would you do that?::

"_Would you randomly break into song in the middle of a war zone?"_

::… Point taken. Okay, how about screaming?::

"_To call on Reiatsu? No."_

::… Laugh?::

"_No."_

::… Pray?::

"_I'm not even religious."_

::So? Neither am I. Besides, it's better than any of the other crap either of us can think of.::

"_True, but I don't even know anything about any kind of Deity."_

::Then make one up.::

"_Fine."_ The pale-blonde was about to 'pray' when an odd feeling came to him._ "You ever get the feeling that something bad is about to happen?"_

::No, not really. Why?::

"_Oh, no reason."_ He lifted his hand once more and pointed in a random direction like before. He channeled Reiatsu into it to the point it became uncomfortable and tried to think of a prayer. "Um… Oh great god of… something."

::'something'? Really? That's the best you can come up with?::

"_Why am I even doing this?"_

::Would you rather scream?::

Seeming to think about it, Naruto suddenly screamed out at the top of his lungs. "Nothing." Not even a single spark of Reiatsu was released from his extended finger.

::… I can't believe you just did that.::

"_Screw off!"_ The pale blonde let out an annoyed sigh. _"Looks like it's back to praying."_

::… Why did you just do that?::

"_I said screw off!"_ He grumbled and continued to focus Reiatsu into his now slightly hurting finger. "Okay, let's see what I can do." Unintentionally, he put more Reiatsu into his finger without him noticing. "Oh great god of… ramen!"

::Ramen? The fuck is wrong with you?::

"Show me the strength of your… noodle-y powers!" Naruto continued, ignoring the cane.

::Are you high?::

"And bring me to the one who bares… broth!"

::I cannot believe that you're actually doing this.::

"_Hey! You're the one who suggested it so just sit down and shut up! Got it?"_ Naruto snapped, breaking his 'prayer', once again pouring more Reiatsu into his extended finger without him noticing. He actually put so much into the finger that it began to give off a dull white light.

::Um, your finger is-::

"_I said shut up!"_ Not waiting for a reply, he once again began his 'prayer'. "Oh great god of Ramen! Show me the strength of your noodle-y powers and bring me to the one who bares broth! I am but a small one who… feasts upon your offerings!"

::Naruto, your finger!:: Benihime yelled at him, which was ignored by the annoyed boy.

"May your light dance upon the… noodles as I… eat away at the holy bowl!"

::Dammit dumbass, look at your goddamn finger!::

"With… feather light… chopsticks… traveling… to and fro!"

::It's a fucking lightshow! How can you not see it?::

"Never get… cold before… all of the offering is gone, soon to be… replaced by a… ladle filled with… golden liquid!"

::Listen to me for Kami's sake! Stop now, something bad is going to happen if you don't! Can't you see your finger's about to blow!::

"Now show your true might, oh great being of ramen! FIRE!"

* * *

The people of Otafuku Gai all stopped in whatever it was they were doing as a large fireball was seen in the sky somewhere off the edge of town, soon turning into a mushroom cloud of black smoke. The smoke then dissipated and the skies cleared, as if nothing ever happened. A certain silver-haired native of Oni no Kuni was so focused on where the fireball was moments before that he did not notice his dumpling fall out of his chopsticks grasp.

"Mashiro, did you see that?" He managed to get out, not taking his eyes away from the previously flaming sky. When he did not get a response, he turned away to see the other person sitting at the restaurant table, a neon-green haired woman fast asleep and face down in her plate of rice cakes. The man groaned and slapped his forehead. "Why do I have to be stuck with her?" He asked no one in particular.

* * *

A few days ago, this area was once a clearing, and then reduced to a clearing with a large trench made from one Yoruichi. Now, it was just a crater. The trees surrounding it, once fully grown, were now smoldering pieces of bark and leaves. The cane that is Benihime was tossed somewhere away from the destruction and cursing at a certain blonde via mental link. Naruto pants were now a charred black, being a little longer than his boxers. His shirt and jacket were gone, sans a small strip of cloth that was apparently his left sleeve. His bare chest was visible, showing it was badly burned but healing at a rapid rate. His hat was completely unharmed, thankfully having various seals to keep it as such before hand, and resting next to the blonde's head as he lay on the ground.

"… I can work with this." He choked out, not seeming to be in pain. He then took into account his attire, or lack there of. "I really do need new pants."

* * *

Back in Uzu no Kuni, we find the same young, red-eyed man. He was currently walking through the forests of the island country. He was moving towards the same cliff he talked with Nemu before.

"And where do you think you are going, youngster?" A voice asked, the man stopped walking but did not turn to it.

"Sotaicho (Captain-Commander), I did not expect to meet you so soon." The red-eyed man commented.

"Answer me." The Sotaicho said, sounding annoyed.

The man seemed to hesitate before turning his head to see the shadowed man behind him. "You know where I am going already."

"Why are you going to look for her, you were never one to act irrationally." The shadowed man said, tilting his head to the side.

"It is not irrational. I just have a feeling that something bad is going to happen. And you always said to trust our gut." The two had a brief starring contest.

"Very well." The Sotaicho gave in after a minute of silence. The only sign that the red-eyed man was surprised was the slight widening of his eyes. "Just don't get yourself killed." The man was unmoving for only a moment before he gave a curt nod and sprinted the rest of the way through the forest.

His destination: Otafuku Gai.

* * *

We once again find Naruto in the crater/clearing. This time though proves that, much like his sense of healthy food, he had no sense of time. How you may ask? He was supposed to be back to Konoha at noon the day he accidentally blew up the clearing… that was two days ago. What had he done in this time? Besides training and arguing with a certain sword he had done absolutely nothing. He did not even bother to eat or go get new clothes, still wearing the burnt rags from before.

Armed clones once more surround the sweating blonde. While the Kage Bunshin held the unsheathed cane/sword combo, the original Naruto had a much different blade in hand. The handle of the sword was wrapped in black cloth, the pommel giving a gentle curve with a crimson tassel hanging from it. The cross guard was a dull bronze in color and U-shaped, decorated with a flower pedal design. A crimson-colored string was around the handle just below the cross guard, wrapped around it three times before being tied off in a butterfly not. A string with triangle shaped beads, once again dull bronze in color, hung from the cross guard. The blade itself was three and half feet long and ended in a tipped slant. The back of the blade was dark gray, nearly black, while the edge pristine silver steel.

Naruto gave one last pant before collapsing on the ground, the clones disappearing in a plume of smoke. The ornate sword the original held gave off a flash of light. The flash died down to show the shikomizue that was Benihime, the scabbard appear on the ground beside the tired blonde.

"Well *pant* I think that that *pant* went well *pant*." Naruto struggled to his feet, picking up his sword in the process. He somehow managed to sheathe Benihime without stabbing himself. "I *pant* should probably *pant* be getting back to *pant* Konoha- and I'm falling." His legs gave out under him and he entered blissful unconsciousness before he even hit the ground.

* * *

Naruto's gray eyes fluttered open to see the ground above him… wait, what?

The teen's eyes snapped open and he stood up, still looking upwards. Over a hundred feet above him was darkened stone, barely visible through maybe a foot of murky water that flooded the ground, er, ceiling.

"What the hell?" Naruto wondered. Looking down he saw… clouds? "I have got to be dreaming.

The clouds he was standing on were bright crimson in color and continued on in every direction he could see, constantly churning in unseen winds. His feet shifted slightly on the surface, giving a feeling like he was standing on a thick layer of semi-cooked cookie dough. How he knew what that felt like was not important right now. Large building-sized structures went from the flooded stone ground above him through the red clouds he was standing on. The structures seemed to be made entirely out of partially rusted bronze-colored pipes.

Naruto scratched his head under his hat, utterly confused at where he was. He then heard light footsteps behind him. Turning around, his view was obscured by a small fist that then connected with his face. Small the fist may be, but the blow sent him back more than a dozen feet until his back slammed into one of the building-like structures and slid to the cloud/ground in a crumpled heap. The pale-blonde groaned as he sat up, leaning against the pipes that made the structure. _"Why are people suddenly breaking my nose on a regular basis now. First was Yoruichi-chan, now this person."_ Naruto glanced at his attacker, absently shifting his nose back into position with a snap. _"And she's a woman too. Great."_

The female, her hand still extended from the punch, stood still with no movements to show if she was going to continue her attack or not. The woman appeared to be in her mid-twenties. She wore formal robes, blackish red in color and ripped along the bottom and a collar that dipped down into a V in the front. Showing her bare feet with red painted toenails and a bit of cleavage respectively. Her fingernails were painted a similar color to her toenails, a simple dull bronze ring on the middle finger of each hand. She had soft looking, cream-colored skin. Her eyes were a startling red, standing out on her heart-shaped face. Her hair was a pinkish red and kept up in a bun with two bangs framing her face. A bronze U-shaped clip was placed in her hair, not appearing to serve any purpose. She wore a pair of earrings, each being a simple string with three bronze triangles beads. A silver tiara featuring a small ruby atop her head finished off the look.

"Oi! What the hell was that for?" Naruto shouted at the stranger, but got no reply. The woman just lowered her extended arm and looked at the teen with what seemed to be boredom. _"Maybe she's a noble."_ Those thoughts were shattered by her reaction to his next question. "Hey, why'd you punch me bitch?"

Her beautiful face scrunched into a scowl as a tick-mark appeared on her forehead. ::What the fuck did you call me you dammed dumbass!::

Naruto blinked owlishly at her. "Benihime?" He asked uncertainly. The woman rolled her red eyes and muttered something under her breath.

::Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner, give this little ass wipe a prize.:: She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. The growl from Naruto was ignored she continued. ::Do you even realize how damn stupid you sound?::

"Oh shut it!" Naruto snapped back. "Where am I anyway?" He asked, looking around the strange place.

::This is the world created between your conscious and my own. It has no name.:: Benihime answered.

"I think I'll call it my Inner World." Naruto said, completely at random.

Benihime stared at the boy. ::I'm not even going to comment on that.::

Naruto's face morphed into one of anger. "Hey, why did you punch me?" He shouted at the redhead.

Benihime gave him a look as if he was crazy. ::You're only remembering that now? Either I hit you too hard or you really are bipolar.::

"Answer me!" Naruto growled out, finally standing up.

::That was for you ignoring me all the time.::

Naruto gave an incoherent grumble, but got over his annoyance, his nose already healed. "This is nice and all but can I go now, I have to be back in Konoha soon."

Benihime laughed loudly at that, much to Naruto's annoyance and confusion. ::You have a horrible sense of time. The Hokage told you to be back at noon _two days ago_.:: She gave him a mocking smile, showing long canines.

"… Huh?"

::You trained for two fucking days straight. Which, while impressive, exhausted your body, you won't be getting up off your ass for a while. And, as long as you are unconscious, you'll be here.::

"Well damn, what now?" Naruto asked in annoyance.

::Well…:: Benihime trailed off, a predatory smirk on her face, only amplified by her fangs. The hat-wearing teen looked at her in uncertainty, which turned to fear when held her hand to the side and a familiar blade appeared in her palm. The blade, which he had dubbed the _Shikai (Initial Release)_ of Benihime, was the same one he was using before he fell unconscious. ::We could always… _train_.:: She purred out the last word, causing Naruto to gulp as he took a step back.

"I-I have no w-weapons." The pale-blonde eyed the blade wearily.

::Oh, that won't be a problem, I _promise_.:: Benihime's smirk became a full-blown cheshire grin, one that would be seen only on a maniac. It was at that moment that Naruto remembered something very important. This woman was, and was probably still considered, the Kyuubi no Kitsune. A _demon_ said to want nothing but pure destruction and chaos.

"… Fuck."

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen rubbed his temples with one hand, his other occupied with his smoking pipe. While he knew that the resident Jinchuriki had a horrible internal clock, being two days late was still a stretch. While he was allowed a slight reprieve from his worries when the ambassador from Kumo arrived, it did not last. He was originally wary of the news that the Hidden Cloud was once again sending someone for negotiations, with the last one ending in the death of the brother of a clan head, those thoughts were quickly erased when he saw that the young girl, Yoruichi, was an actual professional. Unlike the last ambassador, who it was painfully obvious had no formal training in negotiations, the Shihoin heiress practically screamed nobility. She even blatantly refused to stay the night when he offered, saying she wished to get back to her home as soon as possible.

But the dark-skinned girl was gone now and his worries for his surrogate grandson returned. The elderly Hokage's thoughts were once again interrupted by the sound of his office window sliding open.

"Hey, Sarutobi-sensei." A person said as he entered the now opened window. It was a middle-aged man with long spiked white hair. He wore odd-looking clothes with a metal plate on his forehead and a scroll attached to his lower back. His eyes had a friendly look to them as well as red lines, much like tears would be, going down his face. "What's new?"

"Ah, Jiraiya-kun." The Hokage greeted with a smile. "What do I owe this visit for?"

"Just came to ask if I could start training Minato's kid soon." The man replied, before his smile turned into a frown. "I have a feeling something bad is about to come down."

Hiruzen let out a sigh and took a puff of his pipe. "The Chunin Exams are starting soon and I know that Kakashi will enter his team, Naruto included. Even if he was here for you to start training him immediately, you wouldn't get very far."

Jiraiya's frown deepened. "Wait, what do you mean if he was here?"

The older of the two sighed once more. "He left on a temporary training trip to mess with _its_ chakra."

Jiraiya's eyes widened. "So he knows about _it_?" The Hokage only nodded, taking another puff of his pipe. "It's times like these that someone else was around to train care of the gaki." He muttered.

"We all took Minato-kun and Kushina-chan's death hard." Hiruzen said, swiveling in his chair to look out the large bay window.

"Then what about Tsunade-hime?" Jiraiya persisted. "She was never that close to Minato. Or maybe one of Minato's teammates could do it?"

"Ah, but Tsunade-hime already left the village before Minato-kun died. And you forget that she looked at Kushina-chan like a daughter after her grandmother died. Grimmjow-kun if off who knows where, probably either sleeping, trying to find somewhere to sleep, or killing someone who woke him up." The Hokage suddenly laughed lightly, much to the white-haired man's confusion. "Besides, Tsunade-hime and Tia-chan are probably still angry at you for what you did all those years ago." He ended with a smile.

Jiraiya shivered and grabbed his torso in phantom pain. "I'm still paying off the hospital bill." He muttered under his breath, but Hiruzen heard it still and laughed lightly.

"I still wish I was there to see your face."

* * *

_In a time quite some time ago, at a bathhouse of all places, we find the same white-haired man, though much younger. He was on one side of the hot springs, the male side. Along with him in the steaming water were two younger men. The one with sun kissed blonde hair being Namikaze Minato, the man who would some day become Hokage. Next to the blonde was his blue haired teammate, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez. The three were currently attending the bathhouse on the outskirts of Konoha._

"_Man, this is great." Grimmjow gave out a pleased sigh. "I could almost fall asleep right hear, wrinkled skin be dammed."_

"_What do you mean almost?" Minato joked. "You _would_ fall asleep right now. I swear you must be part Nara or something."_

"_Screw you, Namikaze." Grimmjow replied, slipping deeper into the hot water._

_All conversation was cut off when laughter was heard. Two things stood out about this laughter. One, it was coming from the other side of a tall wooden wall. And two, it was obviously feminine. A large, lecherous grin sprouted onto the face of the Toad Sennin, quickly followed the sound of someone getting out of the water. Both Minato and Grimmjow gave a loud sigh as they saw their 'teacher' crouching down and peering through a hole in the wall he somehow found. Soon letting out a giggle._

"_You shouldn't do that, Jiraiya-sensei." Minato protested weakly, knowing there was no point._

"_What they don't know won't hurt me. Now let's see who the little ladies are, eh?" He looked around, waiting for the steam to clear. When it did his perverted smile only grew bigger. "Oh, would you look at that." He giggled again. "It's Tsunade-hime."_

_Grimmjow let out a low chuckle as he leaned back and closed his eyes. "Then you better pray they don't see you… or hear you."_

"_Such great figure." Jiraiya was drooling as he scribbled down on a notepad he got from god knows where, not taking his eyes away from the 'princess'. "Such perfect skin. This is defiantly going in my next book."_

"_Jiraiya-sensei, stop now while you're ahead." Minato protested once more._

"_Listen to the man, Ero-sensei." Grimmjow agreed, not opening his eyes._

"_Oh, look, Kushina's there to." There was a pause after the Sannin spoke, soon interrupted once again by the sound of someone getting out of the water._

_Grimmjow cracked an eye open to see Minato crouched a few feet away from Jiraiya, looking through yet another hole in the wall. "Idiots." He muttered, making sure it was loud enough for them to hear._

"_Even Tia is there." Minato said, appearing to be drooling as well. "I've never seen her face before, have you sensei?"_

"_Can't say I have, Minato. But there's a first time for everything." The two then appeared to see something as Jiraiya giggled again and a stream of blood slowly began flowing from Minato's nose as the blonde seemed to almost lose consciousness from whatever he saw. "Now that is a _nice_ view."_

_Grimmjow just shook his head at the idiocy of the two. His eyes then snapped open as he came to a realization. _"I've never seen Tia mad before…"_ He thought. A moment later a predatory grin grew onto his face. _"This will be good." _He cackled loudly as he put his plan into motion._

_On the other side of the wall, two women were sitting in the water across from each other, laughing at a joke. The blonde-haired, older of the two was Senju Tsunade, summoner of slugs. She was sitting on a ledge in the bath in such a way that the water only reached just above her navel, much to the enjoyment of one of her fellow Sannin. The younger one, Uzumaki Kushina, was sitting on the other side of the bath, her violet colored eyes sparkling in amusement. She, much to a certain future Hokage's disappointment, was sitting neck-deep in the warm water._

"_Come on, Kushina-chan, tell me who it is. Who's the lucky man you're after?" Tsunade whined, giving a childish pout._

"_Can't do that, Baa-chan." The fiery redhead answered, getting a growl from the Sannin._

"_I told you not to call me that!" The older woman snapped, getting another chuckle from her friend. "I'm not even that old."_

"_You're still older than me." Kushina retorted. Before Tsunade could say anything more, the sliding of a door was heard, gaining the two's attention. "Tia-chan! I didn't know you use the public baths." The redhead proclaimed as the dark-skinned, blonde, and fully clothed teenager entered the outdoors baths._

"_I do not." Tia Harribel replied. "I simply wished to tell you that Hokage-sama asked for your presence in four hours, Tsunade-sama."_

"_Ah Tia-chan." The slug summoner whined. "You know me and Sarutobi-sensei better than that. There's no need for formalities."_

"_It would be impolite to do otherwise." The younger blonde answered neutrally. "I will take my leave now." She turned to leave, but was stopped when a splash of water and someone wrapping their arms around her from behind kept her from moving. "I liked this shirt." Tia noted her now soaked gray shirt._

"_See, your already wet and the Old Monkey doesn't need Baa-chan for another four hours." Kushina, the one holding Tia back said, both ignoring the growl from the slug summoner. "Besides, I've never seen your face before." The redhead then scrunched her face in a rather cute manner. "Plus, you smell. Take a break from your crazy training and take a bath. Just put your clothes over there." She angled her head towards a series of shelves and drawers meant to hold clothes._

_Tia let out a light sigh. "Fine, I could use a break. Just please get off my shirt before it stains from the soap."_

_Kushina let go of her dark-skinned friend and pumped her fist into the air, unintentionally giving their two peepers a perfect view of her naked body and nearly knocking poor Minato unconscious. "Dattebane!"_

_Tia moved over to the shelves, facing away from Jiraiya and Minato. She wore a thick, long-sleeved dark gray shirt with the collar blocking everything below her eyes from view, a zipper on the front held it closed. Her pants were the same dark gray and quite baggy. The outfit effectively hid all of her chocolate colored skin, sans that of her upper face and hands, and made her figure impossible to distinguish. Reaching the clothes storage spaces, the young blonde hooked her finger around the edge of her high collar and pulled the zipper down in a rather strange fashion. A rather loud and masculine cackle filled the air, gaining a confused look from the three women._

"_Was that Grimmjow?" Tsunade asked._

"_It would appear to be so." Tia said, not seeming concerned by the sound as she moved to undo her belt, having already placed her shirt in one of the drawers._

"_Oi! Ero-sensei!" The voice of the same blue-haired teenager sounded out, loud enough for the three women to hear._

"_Geez, why is he so loud?" Kushina questioned as she sat on the edge of the pool and about to slip back into the water. Tia just shook her head instead of answering as Tsunade laughed._

"_Why the hell are you and Namikaze peeping on the girl's side of the bathhouse?" Grimmjow continued, causing the three women to freeze; Kushina halfway into the water, Tsunade mid-laugh and Tia just beginning to unbuckle her belt. "There someone over there ya' like?"_

_Jiraiya and Minato were stone still as the three women, two naked and one topless, turned ever so slowly to them. The females seemed to spot their spies immediately and a dark aura surrounded them as they glared at the teacher and student through the holes._

_Jiraiya and Minato were completely still, their minds telling them to run like there was no tomorrow but their legs wouldn't move. Then, in perfect synchronization, the student-teacher combo let out a very high-pitched scream and turned to run… but it was too late._

"_**JIRAIYAAAAAA!"**_

"_**MINTATOOOO!"**_

_Tsunade and Kushina, respectively, screamed at the same time, soon followed by the wooden wall that separated the two baths to explode into a storm of shrapnel and knocking the two spies on their asses. Standing above them was a fate worse than death: three VERY pissed and VERY strong women._

_Tsunade stood at the front of the triangle formation the three formed, her body wrapped in a towel. Her face marred into a deep scowl as she grit her teeth. Her hands were together and cracking her knuckles in preparation. The Chakra she was pouring into her hands was actually _visible_ as it steamed off of her fists and evaporated the water. Kushina stood to Tsunade's left and slightly behind her, also wrapped in a towel. One fist was raised while the other held the shoulder of the raised arm, loosening the bones in her shoulder for a punch. Her eyes literally burst into flames. Tia stood on Tsunade's right, slightly behind as well. She had also herself in a towel with a second, smaller towel wrapped around her lower face, shielding it from view once more. Her arms were crossed under her breasts, that, with a towel instead of her normal baggy clothes covering them, it was possible to see that she was very well developed for someone her age. Her sea foam green eyes had a stony gaze that seemed to freeze the very souls of their helpless victims._

_Jiraiya and Minato looked at could what could very well be the death of them both and the younger of the too spoke. "J-J-J-Jiraiya-s-sensei, f-forgive m-m-me."_

"_W-What?"_

"_It was his idea!" Minato yelled, just before he Hirashin'd his ass out of there._

"_Traitor!"_

_But his scream and all those that followed were unheard as the women showed the wrath of Female Righteousness. All the while Grimmjow laughing his ass off in the background, stopping only to cringe when he saw his sensei kicked where the sun don't shine, but soon continuing to laugh._

_That was the first, and to date, last time that Jiraiya of the Sannin ever came close to dying._

* * *

"I never got either of those bastards back for what they did." Jiraiya cursed his two former male students, then cringed as he remembered a particularly painful kick from his one time female student. "Can we please get back to the topic of my godson?" The Sannin practically begged.

Hiruzen had one last laugh before he grew worried once more. "I'm beginning to worry about Naruto-kun."

"You're overreacting, Sarutobi-sensei." Jiraiya brushed it aside, though he was glad to be off the previous topic. "He'll show up soon enough. When was he supposed to be back anyway?"

"Two days ago." Hiruzen deadpanned, taking another puff of his pipe.

Jiraiya's face also morphed into one of concern. "Did he say where he was going?"

The elderly Hokage raised an eyebrow, catching onto his former student's hidden meaning. "You're going to go look for him?" At receiving a silent nod, Hiruzen sighed. "Don't know exactly, I don't think _he_ knew where he was going. Think he said something about going east, but for all I know he could be lost in the streets of Suna by now."

Jiraiya scratched his chin in thought. "Not much out there." He then let out a low chuckle. "It'd be ironic if he ended up in Otafuku Gai, wouldn't it?"

The Hokage blinked, trying to get the joke, before it hit him as well. "Ah yes, how could I forget, the Tasukaru no Dai (Day of Survival) is being held tomorrow night." He then remembered something. "I should probably get Naruto-kun a present for his birthday."

"You do that, Sensei." Jiraiya said, moving back to the still open window. "I'll go find the gaki." He stopped and snapped his fingers, having an idea. "How much you want to bet that I find him partying at Otafuku Gai tomorrow night."

Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you picking up Tsunade's gambling habits?"

"Of course not. I actually plan to win." The Hokage chuckled at his student's antics.

"Very well." The older of the two gave in. "If he isn't there then you have to give me a copy of every book you publish before it hits the shelves."

Jiraiya seemed to mull this over. "Okay, then what do I get when I win?"

"_If_ you win, I'll let you use this for a day." Hiruzen held up a small glass orb.

The Toad Sennin looked at the orb in confusion, before he realized what it was and a large lecherous grin spread onto his face. "You got yourself a deal, Sarutobi-sensei!" The two shook hands and Jiraiya darted out the window.

Hiruzen laughed once more, taking another puff of his pipe. He glanced over to the framed pictures of the previous Hokage, stopping on the one fourth from the left. "Maybe I should visit Minato-kun and Kushina-chan's graves tomorrow. It truly is ironic that Naruto-kun's birthday is not only the same day his parents left us, but also the same day the Kyuubi attacked." He gave another chuckle, though this one held no humor. "Truly it is a memorable day for all, October Tenth."

* * *

"Is this the place, Hachi?" One afro-headed Aikawa Love asked his equally strange-haired partner, Ushoda Hachigen. The two were on a small dirt path, in the distance they could see a town buzzing with commotion.

"I believe so." The other Kiri-nin answered.

"Finally, you're here!" The two men stopped at the rather sudden exclamation. Turning to the voice they saw a teenage girl sitting on a tree branch. She had shoulder length black hair with a tint of purple seen in the sun. She wore a black kosode with a white shitagi visible underneath. A black hakama tied off with a white obi. Waraji sandals over white tabi socks finished off the look. "Why did Taicho tell me to come nearly a week early anyway?" She grumbled to herself as she leapt off the branch and landed in front of the tensed duo. The girl bowed to them. "Greetings, my name is Kurotsuchi Isaribi."

"Aikawa Love." The sunglass wearing man introduced himself. "This is Ushoda Hachigen, everyone just calls him Hachi. So, you're the one that was sent?" Love asked as the girl, Isaribi, rose from her bow. "What's this group that you're a part of called anyway?"

"We are known as the _Gotei (Imperial Guards)_." Isaribi answered then let out a rather loud yawn. "Sorry, I haven't had much sleep lately."

"Our leader told us that you have some kind of bloodline, Isaribi-dono." Hachi spoke up. "If you do not mind, may we see it? I would relieve some tension and prove you are not a spy."

Isaribi suddenly looked very nervous. "Well, I don't have a bloodline." At seeing the two ninja tensing once more, she wave her hands up in a placating manner. "Wait, wait, let me explain!" When she saw that them make no move to attack, Isaribi lowered her hands and sighed. "It might as well be considered one, even if I didn't get it from my parents. I might even be able to pass it one to my children… _If I can ever find anyone who could stand me."_ She thought the end to herself.

Love arced an eyebrow. "How did you get it if not from your parents?"

Isaribi visibly flinched. "I-I don't like to talk about it." She then sighed and pulled up her right sleeve, showing her tanned arm.

"What are you doing?" Hachi asked, obviously confused.

"Just watch." The girl insisted. She held up her exposed arm in front of her, parallel to the ground. A look of concentration came to her face as the fingers on her right hand began to turn green. The sickly looking color seemed to crawl up her arm until the whole appendage was green. The skin then darkened slightly and took on a strange reflective property followed by the skin seeming to split apart and rise. All of this took place in a few seconds and before the two men knew it the arm they were looking at was covered in green scales, seeming to be similar to those of a fish or snake. "I don't have very good control over it yet so its still somewhat painful." When Isaribi spoke again it drew the two Kiri-nin's attention back to her face. It took all of the two men's mental ability to not recoil when they was that the right half of the girl's face covered in the same sickly green scales. "Yeah, like I said, I don't like to talk about it." With that, her skin quickly turned back to her tanned, almost sunburn skin. "Now, what can the Gotei help you with, Rebels of Kiri?" Love and Hachi got out of their stupor, that was definitely one of the more gruesome 'bloodlines' they have seen, right up their with that of the Kaguya, and nothing like Hachi's own bloodline.

"What is it this Gotei can offer us, Isaribi-dono?" Hachigen was the first to speak.

"We do not have many supplies to spare, nor do we have great numbers of soldiers. What we do have is some of the strongest people, ninja or otherwise. Most of which have no equal in their specific field." Isaribi said, though she was confused by the suffix Hachi kept adding.

Love arced an eyebrow. "Okay then, name one person like that." He challenged, getting a smirk from the fish-girl.

"The master of Genjutsu (Illusion Technique) and my Taicho, Uchiha Itachi." Before anyone could say anything else, a loud and almost demonic roar split the air.

* * *

Yadomaru Lisa, who just arrived at a large clearing in the forest surrounding Otafuku Gai froze when she heard the same, demonic roar. The only difference between her and the three from before is that it was _much_ closer to her.

"What the-"

"Hey lady! Get down!" A voice called. Lisa turned to it just in time to be tackled by a bright yellow blur, knocking her to the ground, followed soon by a loud crash. "Hey, you okay?" The voice asked again.

Lisa groaned as she saw a man leaning over her, the one she assumed tackled her. "Who are you?"

"Name's Ro- Crap!" He suddenly freaked out and grabbed Lisa, jumping away just as a large figure crashed into the ground where they just were. Helping Lisa to her feet, the man fingered a whip he had hooked to his waist.

Regaining her balance, Lisa looked to their previous location, which was shrouded in dust. Another demonic roar sounded out and some unseen force blew the dust cloud away. What stood in a newly made crater was what could only be described as a monster. It _looked_ human but had way more muscles than anything either of the two onlookers had ever seen. A flat hockey-style mask covered its face. Whatever kind of shirt it had on was ripped, leaving it in baggy red pants. White seemingly metal rods stuck out of its back and arms. A mop of silver colored hair could be seen over the mask and a pair of glowing red eyes were visible through the top pair of the six holes in the mask.

"What is that?" Lisa asked, whipping her large spear off of her back and held it in a trained bo-staff stance.

"No idea." The man beside her answered, holding his whip in one hand as that both eyed the _thing_ with caution. "But whatever it is, I doubt it's friendly." As if to agree the thing gave another roar, turning its head skyward. "My name is Rojuro, Otoribashi Rojuro. But you can call me Rose."

"Yadomaru Lisa, It's a pleasure to meet you." Lisa said with her ever-stoic face never leaving.

The thing gave another roar and bent down, seeming to get ready to charge. "Well then, Lisa-san. Do we run or fight?" The thing charged at them with surmising speed. The two new comrades glanced at each other before looking back at the monster, speaking at the same time.

"Fight."

With that the two charged into battle.

* * *

Isaribi looked in the direction of the roar with wide eyes. "How did one get to the mainland?" She muttered to herself. "I got to go." She said to the two Kiri-nin as she prepared to take off, only for hand on her shoulder to stop her.

"Whoa wait, what's going on?" Love asked, not letting the girl leave before he got some answers.

"Let go of me!" Isaribi yelled at him, trying to struggle out of his iron grip. "I have to stop _it_ before it kills someone!"

"Answer me first!" Love shouted back, getting a reluctant agreement from the fish-girl.

"The base of the Gotei is located in Uzu no Kuni." Isaribi spoke in a hurrying manner. "Its and island country located off the coast. The island is inhabited by something that can only be described as bloodthirsty monsters. They have no name and all look completely different from the rest, the only similarity being a white mask and a hole where their heart should be. They vary from being weak enough that a civilian could kill it to the occasional one that could give a Kage a hard time. The worst part is that even if you kill them, they will come back sooner or later. Now it is part of my job to kill them before they kill innocents, which they will."

"How do know that was one just now?" Love asked, Hachi remained silent and looked at the girl.

"I have been fighting them for more then a year now, I know their cry when I hear it." She then grew a concerned look and glanced into the forest as another roar sounded out. "They've never appeared anywhere besides Uzu before." She muttered, more to herself. "Now will you release me so I may do my job?"

Love and Hachi looked at each other before nodding in unison. "We're coming with you." Love said, surprising Isaribi.

"W-What? Why?"

"For one, you're our only contact to this Gotei, and we really need the help back in Kiri." Love said, getting a light scowl from Isaribi.

"Also it would not feel right to have the blood of the villagers on my hands if this monster is as violent as you say, Isaribi-dono." Hachi said, giving the girl a light bow.

Isaribi gave light smile. "Thank you." Her face became one of seriousness once more. "Its far enough away the town that they are in no immediate danger, they probably didn't even hear its roar." She then reached into her kosode and pulled out a small glass vial. It held what looked like water, though it had a green tint to it. "But we should hurry anyway." Getting a nod from her two comrades, they rushed into the forest at Shinobi speeds.

* * *

Shinji stood in the forest and annoyed look on his face. "Where the hell did Hiyori go? Can't she stay in one place for more than ten se-" He froze as a demonic roar stopped him in his tracks. "That didn't sound good…" He then noticed the forest seemed to be getting brighter, despite the fact that the sun was going down. Glancing around he saw the whole area he was in was bathed in an orange-red light, along with is shadow growing. Snapping his to look behind him, he saw a ball of light through the trees that just _screamed_ power. "Great, just great." There was another roar as the ball of light shout out in a giant beam, straight at Shinji. The blonde jumped to the side as the blast tore through at least a dozen trees in the path he when the light cleared he a humanoid figure. "Hiyori?" He called to it.

It looked like his fellow blonde, only she had a mask covering her face. The mask gave a skull-like appearance with red diamond markings above the eyeholes, where the eyebrows would be and a single large horn protruding from the forehead.

It gave another roar, scaring away whatever wildlife was stupid enough to still be there. "That is not Hiyori." Shinji said as he reached into his pouch and pulled out a simple silver ring. "But this will be annoying." He finished, placing the silver ring over his right index finger.

Before either could make a move, a call of "What did you do to Kensei!" Came from behind the possessed Hiyori. Said girl turned and stepped to the side just as another girl flew past where she previously was in a flying kick. The newcomer flipped in midair, landing next to Shinji. The crazed Hiyori roared again.

"You a friend or foe?" Shinji asked, fingering the ring on his finger and eyeing both the girls.

The girl looked at Shinji before turning back to the roaring Hiyori with a rather cute pout on her lips. "I'm her foe. She did something to my friend, Kensei."

Shinji nodded. "Well she's my friend but I have no idea what she's doing or what's with that mask. Name's Shinji by the way."

"Mashiro." The girl replied.

"We need to get Hiyori away from town, but I'm no good at that kind of thing." The two jumped out of the way as Hiyori ran past and hit the ground, resulting in a large crater. "Plus she's stronger than I a by far."

Mashiro landed back beside the sane blonde. "If I could hit her she would go flying, but she's to fast."

"I can deal with that." Shinji said, readjusting his silver ring for the last time. "Just try not to kill her, got it?" When Mashiro nodded, the blonde threw his right hand forward, the ring glistening in the setting sun. "Wagen: Shinnyo (Ring's Illusion: Absolute Reality)!" The ring seemed to spin on Shinji's finger for a moment. "Go!"

Mashiro nodded, trusting the blonde man and jumped into another flying kick. "Mashiro Kikku (Mashiro/White Kick)!" She called out. As she neared the possessed Hiyori, the blonde raised her fist, as if to punch. But instead out punching at Mashiro, she spun around and launched her fist at the air, allowing Mashiro's attack to hit the back of her head, sending her flying through a group of trees.

Shinji and Mashiro shared a nod before giving chase.

* * *

Tessai, who was wandering the streets of Otafuku Gai, stopped when he felt something. _"Was that Shinji-san's chakra?"_ He wondered.

After leaving Konoha, the Kumo group stopped once more in the town for the night. The teenager had left the hotel to wander around the streets as he saw some sort of festival beginning.

"_It's probably nothing important, but I wonder why he's here. Wasn't he supposed to be in a more southern country?"_ The teenager thought as he took a unhurried pace towards where he felt the chakra spike, not seeing any reason to go faster. _"Though whatever holiday this town is celebrating must be popular. I swear I saw Jiraiya of the Sannin back there."_

* * *

Lisa jumped backwards as the silver haired monster once more crashed into the ground, sending debris everywhere. Landing on her feet, the Yuki no Kuni native brought her large spear in a downward slash. The monster swatted the offending weapon aside but was unprepared for the girl to do a full spin and smashing the side of its head with the butt of the spear, soon followed by another spin with the spade-shaped blade making a diagonal slash across its chest. It roared in apparent pain and sent a punch at Lisa, which she jumped away from once more. Before she realized what happened the monster was in front of her. _"He's faster!"_ She realized to late.

Just before the monster's incredibly strong fist connected with her face, a brown leather whip wrapped around its neck. The humanoid thing was pulled away and Rose, in a feet of strength, swung the monster away form Lisa and had him crash into the ground on the other side of the large clearing. "True art…" Rose said as he brought his left hand, his right still occupied by the whip that was wrapped around the monster's neck, to the leather cord and hooked his index finger onto it. "… Is a melody. Ninpo: Tsuruoto (Ninja Art: Vibrating Bowstring)!" He finished, flicking his whip and causing the weapon to vibrate and create a rather pleasant sounding hum. The vibrations of the whip traveled up its length until it reached the part that was wrapped around the monster's neck. The monster screamed in pain just before blood exploded from where the whip met its skin.

Rose snapped his whip back as the monster collapsed onto the ground, unmoving. Lisa walked to stand next to the blonde. "Its not over." She noted, getting no visible reaction from Rose.

The monster struggled back to its feet as steam began to come from its wounds from the battle. The cuts and blood slowly disappeared as it let out another roar and charged the two.

"Move!" Rose commanded, Lisa nodded and jumped away as the blonde snapped his whip once more, causing the leather cord to wrap around his own arm tightly. He once more flicked the whip, getting it to vibrate once more. He brought his wrapped arm back as the monster neared. "Ninpo: Kyomeisen (Ninja Art: Vibrating Sound Drill)!" He threw his arm forward with the air rippling wildly around it. The monster was sent flying back without even making contact with the fist.

Lisa, not to left out, threw her spear at the airborne monster, hitting it right in the chest and piercing the skin. The monster screamed as it ripped the spear out and threw it aside. Getting back its feet it charged the now unarmed Lisa.

"Futon: Daikamaitachi no Jutsu (Wind Release: Great Sickle Weasel Technique)!"

A large gust of wind tore through the clearing. It tore up the ground like a dozen blades. The wind reached the monster it launched it into the air once more, cutting large gashes into its skin and earning another roar of pain. Rose turned to see a wide, pink-haired man standing on the edge of the clearing with his hands in a praying fashion.

A shadow fell over the monster as it landed. Above it in midair was a sunglass wearing man with a large brown afro. The man took out a scroll from his vest pocket and with one hand as he bit the thumb of the other, drawing blood. In one fluent motion he opened the scroll and swiped his bloody thumb on it. He was surrounded in a plume of smoke. When the smoke cleared he had a large black, egg-shaped mace in his hands, which he quickly brought down onto the prone monster. The impact sent a shockwave across the ground and formed a large crater.

Love flipped off the downed monster and landed on his feet, his impossibly large mace resting on his shoulder. "Well that went better than expected." He commented as Isaribi landed next him.

"Something's not right." She muttered, though Love heard her. "Usually they disappear when killed." She said, still looking at the prone for of the monster.

"You know what that thing is?" Rose asked, walking to stand next to the strangers as Lisa went to retrieve her spear and Hachi made his way towards the group.

"Maybe." Isaribi answered, not taking her eyes off the monster as she gripped the vial of greenish water in her hand tighter. "I've never seen one that human-like before. It doesn't even have a hole."

Lisa, who walked over to the group with her spear in hand, narrowed her eyes as she saw steam beginning to rise from the monster once more. "It's getting back up." She noted as everyone, sans Isaribi got into battle positions.

"What do you mean?" Asked a confused fish-girl. Instead of answering, the other female nodded towards the monster as, true to her word, it stood back up, the many wounds disappearing in wisp of steam. Isaribi gasped and gripped the vial in her hand even tighter, almost breaking it. "I've never seen any do _that_ before." She said as scales began to for on her hands, creeping up and stopping just below her elbows.

"First time for everything." Rose muttered as she readied his whip.

Isaribi absently nodded as the monster stood once more and charged at the group with a loud roar. The fish-girl thumbed the cap off of the vial and threw the contents into the air. "Suiton: Kaisuitai: Yari (Water Release: Seawater Form: Spear)!" She called out. The greenish water wavered in the air for a fraction of a second before it shot forward and turned into a spear made of the liquid. The water spear pierced the monster's foot, pinning it to the ground.

Lisa and Love dashed forward, running side-by-side. "You take low, I take high?" Love proposed, getting a nod from Lisa. Love jumped into the air as Lisa cut a deep wound in the monster's stomach, followed soon by Love smashing his mace into the monster's head, knocking it back. A whip then wrapped around its leg and swung around before launching it into the air.

Isaribi then took out six more vials of the greenish liquid, seawater, and uncapped them all with expert ease. Throwing the seawater into the air where the liquid from the previous attack flew towards it like a magnet. "Suiton: Kaisuitai: Noshiotome (Water Release: Seawater Form: Iron Maiden)!" The seawater formed a globe around the airborne monster before dozens of water spikes pierced the monster in its arms, legs, chest, and head, earning a struggled scream.

As soon as Hachi saw the fish-girl about to do her water technique, he once more put his hands in a praying fashion. "Raiton: Jibashi no Jutsu (Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder Technique)!" A large series of lightning streams erupted from his still praying hands. They collided with the water locked creature, electrocuting it and getting a pained scream.

Once the lightning dissipated and the seawater fell, flowing back into the seven vials Isaribi was holding and quickly capped off, the monster's body fall once more, landing on the hard ground with a thud.

All chances of celebration were cut short as a familiar roar was hear, this time coming from the forest. "We got another one!" Love shouted out, facing towards the sound. Almost immediately a figure came flying out of the woods, crashing through a series of trees and landing in a heap. It soon got back up to show a girl with a white mask covering her face. The girl gave a roar as it turned to the group, causing them to tense.

"Mashiro Doroppu Kikku (Mashiro/White Drop Kick)!" A voice yelled, being a figure dropping towards the possessed girl at an alarming rate. The girl seemed about to avoid only for another call to be heard.

"Wagen: Ryoukenchigai (Ring's Illusion: False Step)!"

The possessed girl took a step to the side, only for her legs to give out, causing her to stumble and fall onto her back. The falling figure, a neon green-haired girl, ran her heel right into the possessed girl's masked face, causing a large crack. Mashiro flipped off the downed girl only to fall to her knees, coughing.

"Mashiro!" Shinji yelled as he ran to the girl, but was blocked by Hiyori.

The blonde girl had somehow gotten back up, though the left half of her mask was gone. It looked like the same old Hiyori, freckles and all. But her now visible eye wasn't the normal brown eyes. Instead they were a sickly yellow with the sclera pitch black. The girl's mouth was wide open with a strange white substance pouring out, seeming to become the mask. White particles started to become visible in the air around her head. The white specks came together and formed more of the white goo that was coming out of her mouth, recreating the mask.

Hiyori gave another roar and jumped at Shinji, only to knocked away by Love's mace. Lisa's voice was then heard. "Hey! The big guy is getting back up!" They all turned to see the silver-haired monster getting back to its feet, steam once again consuming its wounds.

Mashiro stopped in her coughing fit long enough to look at the monster with wide eyes. "K-K-Kensei?" The normally bubbly girl stuttered out in fear and horror.

"That's your friend?" Shinji shouted at her in surprise. The now identified Kensei roared again and charged. Shinji held back a curse as he pointed his ringed finger at the monster. "Wagen: Hanpirei (Ring's Illusion: Inverse Proportion)!" Kensei suddenly fell to the ground with a roar, and began to struggle to get back up, almost as if a large weight was on its shoulders. "Mashiro, you need to get back up!" The blonde yelled at the wheezing girl as the others took care of the two possessed Shinobi.

"O-Okay." She stuttered out in a weak voice as she stood back up, only to collapse once more and begin to throw up. To Shinji's horror, she was barfing out the same substance that he saw coming out of Hiyori's mouth. The substance seemed to float in the air while choking her at the same time.

"Mashiro!"

Back with the other's, Rose once more wrapped his whip around his arm and flicked it. "Ninpo: Kyomeisen (Ninja Art: Vibrating Sound Drill)!" He called as he swung a punch at Kensei, only for his vision to begin to blur. Next thing he knew, the monster's armored fist was buried in his stomach. The blonde was tossed away and landed on the ground with a thud. Struggling to his feet, he began coughing up blood along with some sort of white goo. Next thing he knew his vision was darkening and the white substance was forming a kind of beak over his face.

As Lisa once more deeply cut Kensei, Hachigen put his hands into a praying fashion. "Doton: Gensetsukon no Hitoya (Earth Release: Rock Staff Prison)!" He called out, causing a dozen rods of earth to shoot out of the ground and rain down on Kensei, pinning him their. Hachi panted heavily, suddenly tired. Before he knew it he collapsed onto the ground with a white substance flowing out of his mouth, soon followed by Lisa.

"Keep her busy for a second!" Isaribi yelled to Love, who nodded and launched his tired body at Hiyori once more. Isaribi then took out and uncapped her last three vials, throwing the seawater into the air with the water from the previous seven. "Suiton: Kaisuitai: Sakana-Fuujikomu (Water Release: Seawater Form: Fish Entrapment)!" The seawater wrapped around Hiyori like a blanket before constricting with the sound of bones snapping. With one final roar, Hiyori collapsed on the ground.

Shinji looked to see that the three who were fighting Kensei were all on the ground with a white substance pouring out of their mouth. Snapping his head back to Mashiro, he saw her in a similar condition. Finally there were the two fighting Hiyori. The afro-headed one was already lying on the ground while the girl was on her hands and knees. Both had the same white substance flowing from their mouths. "What is this?" He muttered to himself, hoping someone would wake him from this nightmare. "What is th-" He stopped as he felt something working its way up his throat. He knew what it was, he just did not want to believe it. Pulling on his long blonde hair he reared his head back and gave a demonic roar as the white substance exploded from his own mouth.

* * *

Naruto yawned as he sat up and stretched. "I am never doing that ever again." He vowed to himself. Getting to his feet he heard a series of pops. "How long was I out?"

::A little over a day.:: Benihime replied. ::Hey isn't it your birthday now or something?::

Naruto blinked. "It is?" He then counted the days, having to use his fingers. "Huh, I guess you're right. Wait… Crap I slept through my entire birthday, dammit!" A strong gust of wind then blew through the clearing, causing Naruto to dive after his hat so it wouldn't get blown away. "Kind of windy tonight." He comment, sealing his hat into a Storage Seal on his arm and picking up Benihime. He then took note of his state of clothing. "I really need new threads. Oh, I know." Doing three quick hands seals, ending on Tiger, he called out one of the most basic Jutsu out there. "Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique)!" When the plume of smoke cleared Naruto looked exactly like he did before he took Benihime out of his stomach; sun kissed blonde hair, bright blue eyes, whisker-like marks on his face, and bright orange jumpsuit. "Now let's go ho-" He was interrupted by a loud, demonic roar.

::Holy shit, what was that?:: Benihime asked, not bothering to hide her surprise.

"_Don't know, but I'm going to go find out."_ He gripped the cane that was Benihime tighter as he took off into the trees. Not even a minute later he arrived at a gruesome scene. Two… _things_ were pinned down. One appearing to be unconscious and wrapped in a blanket of water, the other held down by multiple earth rods stabbed through him as he struggled. A group of people, seven in total. Were all laying on the ground with white goo that almost seemed alive coming from their mouths. Naruto recognized one of them as the girl that was standing over him when he woke up a few days ago, but he did not know any of the others. He ran over to one of them, a dark-haired girl with a spear lying on the ground next to her. She looked at him the one eye that was not covered in the white substance. _"What happened here."_ Naruto could not help but think to himself. He then noticed that the girl seemed to be trying to say something but did not have enough strength to say it loudly. Naruto leaned down to try and hear her.

"The monster, run."

Just as she said that, a dull thud was heard behind him. Whipping around he saw a man standing on the edge of the clearing. He wore similar clothing to the other dark-haired girl in the clearing only instead of and obi around his waist he had a white sash. He also wore a long white haori and had a standard ANBU sword at his waist. He was staring at the girl who was dressed similar to him with an unreadable expression.

"T-Tai-Taicho." The girl managed to get out despite the goo oozing from her mouth. With that, the newcomer's eyes snapped to Naruto's and they morphed into a blood red with comma-like marks surrounding the pupil.

"_Uchiha!"_ Naruto realized, his face not hiding his surprise. _"But Sasuke-teme is the only living Uchiha. Wait, no, there was also his brother, the one who killed off the clan. Ita- Ah shit."_ Naruto snapped out of his thoughts and gripped Benihime with both hands, ready to draw. He soon grew confused however when the man made no movement. _"What is he doing, he hasn't done anything except activate his Sharingan… Wait… Oh hell no!"_ The disguised blonde then flared his chakra. "Kai (Release)!" The world around him bugled and vanished to show that Itachi was not almost a hundred feet away, he was in fact right in front of Naruto, mid air and about to decapitate the boy. Naruto quickly drew his own sword and parried the offending blade, only to meet a sandal-covered foot to his face, which he quickly swatted away with Benihime's scabbard. _"I can not take on a S-Class Nuke-nin!"_

::Stop complaining and fight, dumbass!::

Naruto grunted as the Uchiha knocked the scabbard out of his hand and their blades clashed once more. Naruto took his now free hand, thanking whatever god was watching for all the training he did, and pointed his index finger at Itachi as the two were in a deadlock. "Hado no Ichi: Sho (Way of Destruction Number One: Thrust)!" The rather weak, yet helpful attack pushed Itachi away where he skidded to a stop. Naruto then put his hand forward as if grabbing something. "Hado no Ni: Yojiru (Way of Destruction Number Two: Twist)!"

Itachi jumped to the side just in time as where he was previously standing had a medium sized spiral dent, as if someone took a drill to it. The Uchiha was surprised at the moment as he had his Sharingan activated and he could not copy this strange Ninjutsu. Narrowing his red eyes at his opponent. _"I'll have to take this seriously."_

Naruto charges at his opponent this time. He swung his sword, which Itachi ducked under and stabbed the blonde in the gut, only for his to go up in a plume of smoke, causing Itachi's eyes to go wide. "Bakudo no Ichi: Sai (Way of Binding Number One: Restraint)!" Someone said from behind him. The Uchiha suddenly found himself with his knees and chest on the ground with his hands behind his back. "Geez, you're a tough one, aren't ya?" Naruto questioned as he looked down at Itachi. The Uchiha then started to glow. "What the?"

"Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great Explosion)." 'Itachi' said before it went up in a large fiery explosion, launching Naruto back.

Naruto struggled to his feet, Benihime still in hand. The blonde glared at the Uchiha who stood to the side with his ever-stoic expression. "You are not the only one who knows the Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone), mine just go out with a bang." Itachi said to the panting blonde. "Now, tell me how to save Isaribi."

"Who?" Naruto asked in obvious confusion, though he was not stupid enough to look into his opponent's eyes again. "You know what, screw you! No more Mr. Nice-Blonde!" He yelled as he held Benihime in one hand and pointed it at Itachi. "Suck on this! Awaken,** Benihime (Crimson Princess)**!" The sword and the discarded scabbard both gave a bright flash of light. While the scabbard completely disappeared, the Shikai of Benihime replaced the sword. Itachi arced an eyebrow but showed no other reaction. Naruto then moved his newly released sword, holding it in one hand with the blade almost touching the ground. "I will not die today! Nake, Benihime (Sing, Crimson Princess)!"

::Damn straight I will!::

When Naruto swung the sword in an upward slash, a large, crimson red beam shot out directly at Itachi, who's eyes widened as he jumped to the side to avoid it. Regaining his footing, Itachi charged his opponent, but quickly turned around and lashed out with his sword when he felt a presence behind him. His sword met contact with three Kage Bunshin that tried to sneak up on him and cut through them like butter. Without looking back, Itachi jumped forward and went into a one-armed handstand just as the real Naruto stabbed the ground where he just was.

"You're not the only one who can go out with a bang, Itachi." Naruto said with a smirk. "Hiasobi, Benihime (Fire-Playing, Crimson Princess)!" Naruto then yanked his sword out of the ground. Out of the cut in the dirt what looked like a black balloon appeared, quickly growing to the size of a human head. To finish it off, a small flame suddenly appeared at the very top of it.

Taking the hint, Itachi jumped away once more just as the balloon exploded in a force greater than that of half a dozen Explosion Notes. "Katon: Endan (Fire Release: Flame Bullet)." Itachi called, sending a large fireball at his opponent.

"Nake, Benihime, Chikasumi no Tate (Sing, Crimson Princess, Blood Mist Shield)!" Naruto gave a downward swing with his sword, resulting in another crimson beam sprouted out, but this one went upwards and formed a shield. The fire and shield met, neither overcoming the other. When the flames cleared, Naruto looked up, but Itachi was nowhere in sight. Before he could react, steel met his back and cut a deep slash from his right shoulder to left hip, getting a scream form the blonde. In retaliation, Naruto spun around and cut right through Itachi, where the man then exploded into a murder of ravens. A moment later Naruto realized his back no longer hurt. _"An illusion!"_

::Behind you!::

At that moment, despite the warning, a sword pierced his shoulder from behind, and he knew this one was real. "If you won't tell me how to fix it then I will force it out of you." Itachi said, getting Naruto to look over his shoulder at him.

"Can I have one more thing to say?" Itachi raised an eyebrow, but nodded anyway, getting a cocky smirk from Naruto. "Thanks for showing me a cool new Jutsu, Bunshin Daibakuha (Clone Great Explosion)!" Itachi quickly jumped back… but nothing happened. "You actually fell for that?" The Naruto 'clone' said in disbelief. "If I could learn Jutsu that quickly do you think I would still be a Genin?" He then points his free hand at Itachi, wincing at moving with an injured shoulder. "_Ye lord. Mask of life and mind, all creation, flutter of feathers, ye who bares my name. Force of push, lives of few, stand towards nothingness._ Hado no Ichi: Sho (Way of Destruction Number One: Thrust)!"

Itachi, who had not made a move while Naruto was praying, being curious if he could copy whatever the blonde was doing, was unprepared for something to crash into him with the force of a wrecking ball. The Uchiha was sent flying backwards, crashing through one tree and hitting the second, hard, sliding down into a pile of unmoving flesh.

"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Dattebayo!" Naruto shouted, pumping his fist into the air. "But why didn't he move?" The blonde shrugged the question off as he saw Itachi making his way back to his feet. The blonde quickly looked away so as not to be tempted to look into the older man's hypnotic eyes. Both were ready to continue the fight when a roar could be heard, both male snapping their heads to the silver-haired _thing_ as it ripped itself from the earth rods that held it down. It gave another roar as it stood tall and its injuries went up in steam. "What the hell? What is _that_?" Naruto questioned, getting a look from Itachi that, though it was hard to make out, was one of surprise.

"You don't know?" Asked the older teen.

""No, I just got here a minute before you did." Naruto answered honestly, which Itachi could apparently see.

"So you weren't the one who did this then?" Itachi asked, glancing around at the people covered in white goo.

"No, why?" The younger of the two asked in a confused manner before in dawned on him. "That's why you attacked me?"

"My apologies." Itachi said, as if that made everything alright. Naruto grumbled something under his breath as the two focused on the roaring, and now completely healed monster. The thing took a step forward and the two swordsmen tensed.

"Raiton: Shichu Shibari (Lightning Release: Four Pillar Bind)!"

Four rock pillars rose up in a square formation around the monster. Almost immediately, the pillars were coursing with electricity, electrocuting the monster. The two swordsmen looked at each other, then behind them to see a man that was familiar to one of them.

"Tessai!" Naruto said in surprise.

The bespectacled man looked at Naruto, he looked different then before but played it off as a trick of the light. "Hello, Naruto-san." Tessai replied, holding a Rabbit hand sign. "Would someone mind telling me what is going on?"

"No idea." Naruto answered rather bluntly. "But do you recognize any of these people?"

Tessai looked at the group of suffering people and his eyes widened when he focused on two in particular. "Yes, I do. The man with blonde hair and the girl with the horned mask are both Shinobi of Kumogakure no Sato."

"Kumo?" Naruto asked in confusion. "How do you know people from Kumo?"

"I'll explain later." He said as the silver haired monster finally destroyed the pillars and the electricity died down. "Right now I think we have another problem." He commented as the monster seed to be completely unharmed already as it gave out another deafening roar and began to charge.

"Right." The blonde said as he rushed to meet it, Itachi followed and Tessai made a single hand sign, Rabbit. "Shibari, Benihime (Binding, Crimson Princess)!" Naruto yelled out as he jumped over the charging monster, crisscrossing lines of blackish-red energy trailing from his sword that stuck to the ground and monster like super glue. Naruto landed on the other side of the monster and pulled it to the ground, where he disconnected Benihime from the energy net. "Light him up!" He called to the others, receiving nods as he stabbed the net he made. "Hiasobi, Benihime, Juzutsunagi (Fire-Playing, Crimson Princess, Beaded Mesh)!" More black balloons began appearing along the length of the net, traveling towards the captured monster. They 'popped' in a small flare shortly after they appeared though.

"Raiton: Kangekiha (Lightning Release: Wave of Inspiration)!" Tessai called out, sending a large wave of lightning from his hands.

"Katon: Kasumi Enbu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Mist Blaze Dance Technique)." Itachi called, sending a fine, flammable mist from his mouth.

* * *

"Alright, here we go!" Yelled a girl known as Kukaku wit an insane grin on her face. "Its finally dark enough!' She then took out a katana she had sheathed on what was left of her right arm and stabbed it into the ground, creating a spark that set nearly a dozen nearby fuses on fire. Her grin increased to scary proportions as the fuses quickly disappeared, soon followed by more than a hundred fireworks. She could hear people cheering on the streets as the Tasukaru no Dei festival started off with a bang. "I wonder what Kaien went off to go do?" She muttered to herself as. Just then, a _huge_ fiery explosion, accompanied by bolts of lightning, went off somewhere in the forest surrounding the town. It lit up the sky and the entire town was dead silent as they stared at it. Kukaku herself was silent as she stared as well, mouth agape. The silence of the town was interrupted as the firework-crazed girl screamed out as loud as she could, soon followed by every other person in town as the festival started up once more.

"Hey, Kukaku, did you see that?" A familiar voice called, being that of Kaien.

Said teenager was soon tackled by a brown and red blur that was his sister and knocked to the ground. Kukaku had tears of happiness steaming down her face as she hugged her older brother. "Kaien… you… are… the best… brother… EVER!" She shouted the end as she nearly crushed her brother to death.

"Uh… Thanks?" The teenager said, utterly confused. _"What I'd do?"_

* * *

Back at the clearing of the explosion, the three male teenagers stood in a line, staring at the smoldering crater. Naruto scratched his head with the hand that was not currently occupied with Benihime. "I think we over did it a little." He deadpanned.

::No duh! Ya think dipshit?:: Benihime yelled at him, giving him a slight headache.

"_Oh you shut it!"_ He complained.

"I thought it was enjoyable." Surprisingly it was Itachi that said this. While he may have little more emotion than a rock, he was a warm-blooded male, and all men _love_ things that go boom. "Nice touch with the lightning." He said, giving a nod towards Tessai.

"Thank you, sir!" Tessai practically yelled, bursting into tears, much to the confusion of the other two.

"… Right." Naruto noted as he looked back at the crater. While the explosion was large, the other incapacitated people in the clearing were far enough away that they were unharmed. The last of the fires had already died out and all that was left was a large pillar of smoke. A low growl put the three back on guard as a figure could be seen making his way out of the smoke. "You have got to be shitting me!"

The figure made it out of the smoke, gave one more roar… and collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

"… Well that's convenient." Naruto said with a smile, which then turned to a frown. "Now what do we do?" He looked to the two men on either side of him, but no one had an answer.

"Well this is unexpected. Don't you think, Kaname?"

"Yes it is, Aizen-sama."

* * *

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes as the large pillar of fire died down, ignoring the cheering people around him. _"That was no firework."_ He thought. He had sensed a great deal of Chakra and… something _else_. He did not know what, but he did no one thing; that was a fight.

Quickly jumping to a nearby rooftop, he headed towards the forest where the pillar of fire originated. He soon arrived a clearing but hid behind the tree line. He saw three people standing in the clearing and nine more on the ground, some kind of white substance coming out of their mouths as they appeared to be dying. He did not recognize the first standing person. The second took him a minute but after realizing it was a miniature copy of Minato he could say it was Naruto. The third one made his eyes go wide, Uchiha Itachi. The three seemed to talk about something before Itachi kneeled down and put his hands on Naruto's shoulders and said one last thing before the Uchiha stood back up and walked away, only to freeze in his steps. _"Did he notice me?"_ The toad summoner worried. But Itachi looked to the other edge of the clearing before disappeared in a murder or ravens. _"That was close."_ The Sannin gave a relieved sigh. He then cast a worried glance at the local blonde. _"Does the gaki know who that was?"_ Jiraiya thought in disbelief at seeing his godson act so familiar with the Nuke-nin. Naruto then said something to the last man, holding up a cane, as if to show it. A minute of talking later the unknown man put his hands together and in a green flash he, Naruto, and the other nine were gone. Jiraiya frowned at this. _"I'll have to tell Sarutobi-sensei about this… it won't end well."_ With that, Jiraiya took off back to Konoha at speeds only a Sannin or Kage could reach.

Or so he thought…

* * *

Naruto scrambled around his apartment, his Henge gone, while Tessai moved the bodies of the nine 'victims' into place.

"Are you certain you can do this?" Tessai asked.

The blonde scowled. "No, I'm not. But if what _he_ said is true then it should work." He opened a cabinet and pushed bottles out of the way, knocking some on the floor and breaking them. "Did you find something to use for all of them?" He questioned as he salvaged a bottle of usable ink before moving to the next cabinet.

"Yes." Tessai replied. "I found a spear, four kunai knives, a whip, the mace, a vial of seawater, and a ring."

"A ring?" Naruto questioned without looking away from the cabinets. "Not much of a weapon."

"Its for Shinji-san, I know how he fights." Tessai explained, getting a shrug from the pale-blonde.

"If you say so." All conversation stopped when a knock on the apartment door was heard. The two males looked at each other and shared a nod. Naruto moved towards the door, grabbing Benihime off the table and flicking it out of its scabbard an inch. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it quickly, opening the door only a crack. He blinked in surprise at whom he saw. "Yoruichi-chan?" The door was thrown open and said girl ran in and pulled Naruto into a hug, catching him completely off guard. "What are you doing here? Tessai said you were in Otafuku Gai." The blonde said, putting Benihime back on a table and hugging the girl back, she being only a couple inches shorter than him.

"I was." Yoruichi panted out, appearing to be tired. "I saw the explosion and ran to go see. When I got there I saw you and Tessai and that other guy and all the other dead people, and I thought I saw Shinji-san and Hiyori-san and then the other two people came in, and you were talking and then their was the fire and the wind and that creepy smile and then they left and then the guy who threw the fire left but I think he saw me first and then I ran all the way here but Soi Fon was in the way and I came here and-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Yoruichi-chan." Naruto said to the girl, rubbing her back. "You're going into shock, just calm down." The purple-haired girl relaxed in his arms. "Just relax." A minute later the Shihoin seemed to have calmed down.

"What can I do to help, Naruto-kun?" She asked, getting a raised eyebrow from the blonde.

"Do you even know what we're going to do?" He asked, getting a blush from the girl.

"Well… no, but we're friends, right?" She gave him a wide smile. "And friends help each other, don't they?"

Naruto smiled back. "Damn straight they do, Yoruichi-chan." He then grew serious again and let go of the purple-haired girl, not seeing her pout at reluctantly doing so. "We've got almost everything ready, so there isn't much more to do." He then got a light blush on his cheeks and chuckled. "Well, I suppose you could go buy me some new clothes." He chuckled out, scratching the back of his head. Seeing Yoruichi's confused look, he looked down at himself, following his view, she saw that he was clad in only frog-themed boxers and the wooden sandals she gave him.

The dark-skinned girl stared for one more second before her eyes looked up and a blush, the likes of which had never seen before on her, covered her entire face as she realized that she just hugged an almost naked man her age. _"I thought he was wearing armor or something!"_ She thought as she glanced at the pale-blonde's muscular chest. _"But if that's all he was wearing then what was that other hard thing that was pressing on my- oh my god!"_ Her blush then spread from her face to her entire upper body. She quickly spun around, not so much to hide her obvious blush as too keep her eyes from wandering to certain 'places'.

Naruto chuckled nervously. "So, can you do that for me? All of my other outfits are ruined from… Well they're impossible to wear so can you?"

Yoruichi nodded furiously, not looking back. "I-Is th-there a-anything y-you prefer?" She stuttered out, her blush not going away in the slightest.

"Um, something green, maybe?" The teenager said, getting another nod from the girl.

"I-I'll see you later… right?" She questioned, almost sounding scared.

Naruto smiled at her, though she was facing away so she could not see it. "Of course we will. We're friends right? Friends will always meet again, sooner or later." He said, quoting himself from the first time they met.

Yoruichi smiled as well, not the blonde could see hers either. "Isn't this the part where you say something cheesy and scream out 'dattebayo'?"

"You don't think what I just said was already cheesy enough?"

The purple-haired noble shook her head. "No… It was actually very sweet."

"Okay then." Naruto said with a nod of his head. "Um, how about… Go on Yoruichi-chan! I need new clothes so either I get new ones or I take yours! Dattebayo!"

Yoruichi falter and her blush returned full force. "That's just stupid!" She yells at him.

"Just get going, Yoruichi-chan or I'll start to think that you want me to stay in my boxers." The girl's blush got even worse as she dashed out the apartment, yelling "Bye!" As she left.

Naruto chuckled and got back to work, but not before replacing his Henge back to orange-wearing, blonde boy everyone knew and loved. Tessai made no comment or said anything at all. A few minutes later they had everything ready and Naruto was putting down the last of ink bottles when the sound of glass breaking. He and Tessai once more shared a look before they both moved to the next room over. One of the windows was broken, but not enough for anyone to get in. Scratching the back of his head in confusion, Naruto looked around the room and saw nothing out of the ordinary. He then followed the trajectory of the glass shards and saw a kunai knife lodged in the floorboards.

"What the?" Naruto questioned as both he and Tessai looked at the kunai. They then noticed a paper tag tied to the loop of the knife. On the tag was a seal that was familiar to the younger of the two. "Aw fuck." He said. "Flash Bang!"

A bright light and piercing sound filled the apartment making the two occupants stumble about and fall to the floor unable to see or hear anything except for a loud ringing. Muffled sounds of more glass breaking and wood splintering could vaguely be heard and Naruto felt something hit is stomach area, hard, and knocking the wind out of him. Cold metal wrapped itself around his wrists and he could feel his energy leaving him. Regaining enough sight, Naruto was able to make out Tessai being held down as something was put on his wrists too. Looking up, the disguised blonde could just make out an ANBU mask, cat themed if he had to guess.

"Uzumaki Naruto." He could just hear the person speak over the ringing as he tried to focus on him, or her, he could not tell. "By order of Lord Sandaime Hokage, you are under arrest for being in allegiance with S-Rank Nuke-nin; Uchiha Itachi, the giving of village secrets, testing of illegal experiments, and the murder or nine foreign Shinobi."


	6. To Be a Criminal

**AN:** I am very sad to tell all of you that, for reasons that will not be said, this will be the last chapter I ever upload onto this sight ever, thus discontinuing this story and my other... APRIL FOOLS! Or as they call it in the eastern country of France, Poisson de L'Avril, literally meaning "Fish of April"... Hey, every country's got their own little quirks

Sorry, had to get that out

And begin the list of (Somewhat) important things:

One, if you don't already know I now have a list on my account page that has a list of all of the Kido, whether I made it myself or not, their incantations, number, type, and detailed effect. I will update it the day after I post a chapter so not to spoil it.

Two, **badass45** you have once more given me questions that I am nearly killing myself not to answer right now and spoil it for everyone. One question you did pose I will answer, kind of. You asked if Naruto would hate his father. My answer is... I don't know. I thank you for bringing that up as I probably wouldn't have thought of it on my own until its to late. At this point it has no consequence on the plot whatsoever so if anyone has an opinion on that, review (As I don't know how to check messages, yeah I suck, sue me) and give your opinion.

Three, at some point during my many _many_ school test I had to take, I began to wonder if I should put lemon's in this story. If I do they won't really be that soon but it's up to you. This story is already M-Rated, really only because of the slight sexual themes here and there and large amounts of cursing from a certain someone *cough*Benihime*cough*, so that won't change

Four, I have decided on another relationship. Really only because I couldn't get part of the up and coming plot to work otherwise, but I think I can get it to work. It could be either a romantic or sibling-like relation and there are hints in this chapter and the last, if you see them give me your opinion. I can honestly say I've never seen this pairing before on this sight, so it should be fun

Five, if any of you remember the mentioning of _Hinoko no Kuni (Spark Country) _back in chapter to by Mito, I will say that A: I named it that because I couldn't think of anything better and B: it will become a major _major_ plot point, but not right now

Six, I am going to give you all so many questions on Aizen in this chapter that it won't even be funny... scratch that, it will be hilarious as only I know what the hell I'm doing (kind of) while you all have to wait to find out what is going to happen with him so HA!

Seven, this chapter will hopefully clear up the purposefully confusing ending I had last chapter and will start right when the explosion (you know the one) went off. There is even a paragraph or two where it will be painfully obvious that I copied and pasted, but live with it, its my fanfiction

Eight, I went back and fixed any grammer, spelling, or plot hole problems I could find in the previous chapters

Nine, this is possibly the most important one, so don't ask why I'm putting it at the bottom. As mentioned by a reviewer this chapter was hard to write, combined with the many tests I had and three, count 'em _three_ new video games that I somehow managed to buy (though one was borrowed from a friend) I had very little time to write this. The chapter below will probably skip around too much, have bad wording, and great amounts of confusion from viewers but I tried to make it as realistic as possible so heres hoping

::Benihime Talking/Cursing::  
"Jutsu/Kido being used (English Translation)!"  
"Release Command, **Weapon Name (Name's English Translation)**!"  
"_Talking through radio of some sort._"

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**To Be a Criminal**

Shihoin Yoruichi, garbed once more in noble robes, this time dark orange in color, raced through the forest towards where the giant pillar of fire originated. She, much like Jiraiya, could tell that something was wrong with it. Ironically, she got to the edge of clearing long before the toad summoner, not that she knew he was in the area. She could see what she assumed were nine corpses in the clearing and could just make out the two somewhat familiar figures of Hiyori and Shinji, having met them once or twice. The three standing figures were harder to make out, being farther away from her. One was Tessai, his glasses still shining with reflected light even if there was none, gave him away. The second she assumed was Naruto, though it was hard to tell, she could see his cane and he held the same stance of the boy she knew. The third person she had no idea, though his almost glowing red eyes scared her. Just as she was about to call out to the three, two more people entered the clearing. Again, she could not make them out perfectly but one seemed to be an ANBU while the other was a Jonin, both Shinobi of Konoha if she had to guess. One thing she could make out clearly about the Jonin though was that his lips were curled up into a creepy smile.

* * *

The two sides of people faced each other, neither moving. Finally Naruto got annoyed with the silence and spoke up. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" He shouted at the new arrivals.

The brown haired bespectacled one, the smile never leaving his face, chuckled at the disguised blonde's hostility. "You sure are one to quickly make enemies. My name is Aizen Sosuke."

Itachi eyed the loincloth hanging from the newly named Sosuke's belt, the kanji for 'Fire' clearly visible. "You are one of the Twelve Guardian Ninja of the Fire Capital." The Uchiha stated.

"And you are Uchiha Itachi, S-Rank missing-nin and one of the last three Uchiha remaining in this world." The man countered, still smiling.

"Three?" Naruto asked, confused. "I thought there were only two?"

"Oh, sorry, slip of the tongue." Sosuke said, but it was hard to tell if he actually meant it or not. "But that is beside the point. I am curious as to why you three were fighting one of my experiments."

"Experiments?" Naruto looked back at the, thankfully unconscious monster, then back at Sosuke. "You made that?" He shouted, pointing at the odd being.

"I doubt that." Itachi spoke up before Sosuke could respond. "I have been fighting monsters similar to that one for a while now, but none have ever been like this one." He then sent a sideways glance at the unconscious Isaribi as she twitched in what appeared to be pain before focusing back on the ever-smiling man. "It is too humanoid in appearance and does not have a hole over the heart." He then glanced upwards at the full moon. "Not to mention that we can see it."

Sosuke gave a chuckle that sent a shiver up the spines of anyone who listened. "You are both correct and incorrect, Itachi." He said, pushing his glasses back into place with a single finger. "You are incorrect in that I _did_ in fact create that. You are correct in that it is not one of the monsters that inhabit Uzu no Kuni, at least not yet. But for future reference I would prefer it if you call these 'monsters' by their actual name."

"And what would that be?" Itachi said with narrowed eyes.

"Hollow."

That word made Naruto's spine go ridged. "_This technique is very dangerous and only thirty percent of people who have used it survive, out of those thirty percent, only five percent gain the actual benefits of this technique, the other twenty-five percent lose their mind and become cannibalistic. These monsters are called Hollows and it is recommended to kill them on sight."_ The words from the Scroll of Mito rang in his head.

"Ah." Sosuke said in a disturbingly calm tone, having seen Naruto stiffen. "So you have heard of them have you?" A small frown then crossed his face. "I must apologize, I never caught your name."

Naruto debated whether or not to answer, but figured he could get more information out of the man if he complied. "… Uzumaki Naruto."

The bespectacled man's eyes shined in unhindered excitement and a little bit of… fear? "Ah, yes. The Kyuubi vessel, it has been so long since that last time I've met one. Not to mention it is an Uzumaki once more, and here I thought that Kushina and Mito were the last of that accursed clan." Erasing all worries from his face and replacing it with his normal smile, Sosuke took off his glasses and cleaned them off with the edge of his shirt. "I matters not though, you will fall just like the rest of your deceased clansmen."

"What do you mean by that?" The disguised blonde questioned, unconsciously channeling Reiatsu into Benihime, ready to release her at a second.

"Tell me, young Uzumaki." Sosuke said with his smile seeming to grow slightly. "What was the fate of your clansmen's former home?"

Naruto gave him a questioning look but answered anyways. "_Uzu no Kuni_ was invaded by other villages in the Second Great Shinobi War."

Sosuke chuckled again. "You are correct on the time, but wrong on the cause of the country's destruction."

"Meaning?"

He then looked up at the onlookers, still cleaning his glasses off, giving his face had a startlingly new look. "I'll keep that little detail to myself." Sosuke said, his smile never waning.

Naruto heard at feminine gasp as the man's face came into full view. Glancing around he saw no one else seemed to hear it. _"Who was that?"_

::I-It's h-him.:: Naruto glanced down at the cane in his hand.

"_Benihime, you know this guy?"_ He thought, knowing the cane would hear him.

::I-I o-only saw him once and in passing but I know that face.:: Her voice was laced with fear, something that, frankly, scared the living crap out of Naruto. ::But I know I saw him _there_.::

"_Where?"_

::… At the battle between Hashirama and Madara.::

Naruto was about to question her more when Tessai spoke up for the first time. "What did you mean by these people are not Hollows 'yet'?" The Kumo-nin asked.

Sosuke chuckled once more, which was getting more and more annoying, as he placed his glasses back on. "There is a technique out there, created by the once great Uzumaki Mito. The technique gives the one who uses it a greater potential of power than what is possible for a normal human with little to no side effects." The man then sighed and grew a faraway look in his eyes, seeming to remember something from his past. "As much as I hate to admit it, I only caught a glance of the seal array required for the technique once. I have tried to replicate it from memory, but it is a slow process of getting it to work exactly right. I have gotten it to the point where it will not kill the one who it is used on no matter what, but I have yet to get a single successful target; they always just become Hollows."

"_He's talking about Soul Separation!"_ Naruto realized with wide eyes.

"Why are you doing this?" Tessai questioned once more, all three of them resisting the urge to attack the man right now. Itachi kept glancing between Sosuke and the suffering Isaribi, his Sharingan seeming to partially change from the normal three tomoe into something else before changing back.

"For power of course." Sosuke said as if stating the obvious, he then glanced at the Uchiha present. "You should know what I mean by that, Itachi. That is why you slaughtered your clan isn't it?" The Missing-nin tightened his hand into a fist until the knuckles turned white. "Though it is a surprise that all nine of the test subjects still appear to be human, they would usually already be a full Hollow by now. I guess that the last modification I did to the seal array had some benefits. It took long enough, I had to go through all of _Hinoko no Kuni_ and _Uzu no Kuni_, but the end results will get me what I want sooner or later."

"_Hinoko no Kuni?"_ Naruto's eyes once more widened. _"That was the country that Mito-obaa-san mentioned."_ Naruto tightened his grip on Benihime as anger flared inside of him. "Are you saying that you were the reason my clan's home was destroyed?" Sosuke said nothing, or rather, he did not deny it. Naruto grit his teeth together as he realized that if it was not for this man he might of known who his parents were. "You ruined the lives of two entire countries and these innocent people? All for power!" He shouted, once more getting silence as an answer.

Sosuke smile seemed to lessen slightly, but did not go away. He then turned to the ANBU behind him who had been silent the entire time. "We are leaving." He stated, already turning to walk away.

It was then that Itachi looked at the silent ANBU for the first time. "A cricket mask…" He muttered, but the two other teenagers on either side of him heard it. "You're… Tosen!" He shouted as he finally recognized the longhaired man.

The ANBU gave a slight bow towards Itachi. "We meet again, Itachi-taicho." Sosuke stopped walking away to listen to the conversation.

"What are you doing?" The Uchiha questioned, utterly confused, though it was hard to tell with his ever-emotionless face. "I never took you as a traitor."

"I am simply taking the less bloodied path, as I always have for the sake of justice." The ANBU said, getting Itachi's Sharingan eyes to stop shifting and rest on the image of a slightly curved three-bladed shuriken, almost looking like a pinwheel.

"You call this less bloodied?" He shouted, his emotionless mask breaking and his face twisting into one of pure anger. The Uchiha swung his hand to the side, gesturing to the now unconscious forms of the partially Hollow consumed people laying about the clearing.

"They were only test subjects." Sosuke stated as Tosen Kaname turned around as well and began to walk to the other man. "I matters little what happens to them as long as the end result is met."

Naruto was about to charge at the man when someone else called out. "Amaterasu (Goddess of the Sun)!"

A torrent of black flames shot at Sosuke, who did not even turn around as he gave a loud sigh. "They never, learn do they? Futon: Furyuheki (Wind Release: Wind Style Wall)!" A swirl of wind sprang to life, separating the two groups of people. When the black flames crashed into the tornado-like wall, they were quickly snuffed out, much to the surprise of the Uchiha who sent the attack.

Naruto was once again about to charge in, seeing as the attack failed, but was stopped when a hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him in place. "Don't bother." The disguised blonde turned to see Itachi holding him in place, his right eye bleeding.

"What? Why?" Naruto shouted at the older teen. Instead, it was Tessai who answered.

"That attack was _Amaterasu_." The bespectacled teen said, gaining Naruto's attention as he and Itachi kept their eyes on the retreating duo. "It is an attack exclusive to the Uchiha, said to be the strongest fire based attack out there, being impossible to put out by anyone, sans the one who used it." Naruto went silent as he realized what he was saying and turned back to the two people who were slowly walking away. "Yet he just snuffed the flames out in seconds with Jutsu, one I have never heard of. To make it even worse, he did it without using hand seals and it was a wind based one, which is weak against fire."

"He's out of our league." Itachi summed up as all three of them focused on the form of Sosuke.

Naruto grit his teeth even harder than before as an emotion he had only felt twice before resurfaced. He had felt it once when Mizuki confronted him after the theft of the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing and again when he had the displeasure of seeing the man known as Gato of Gato Industries. For the third time in his life, Naruto felt the unrestrained anger-induced bloodlust need to kill someone. The only difference is this time, he knew he had no chance of ending the life of the retreating man if what the two other teenagers that were his, if only temporarily, comrades said was true. "Aizen!" But he will damn himself to hell before he lets anyone get away with the satisfaction this man obviously had. "You may be stronger tha me right now, but I will take you down someday! I hate people like you, who would do anything for their own gain, and you will pay for all that you've done!"

Sosuke was quiet for a moment, no longer walking away, before he spoke loud enough to be easily heard. "You say that now but you will never grow strong enough to do so if you remain in a village that will fear you for simply existing. And even if by some miracle you do, it will not be quickly enough."

"Then why do you fear me?" Naruto countered, getting the man to look back without fully turning around, a small frown replacing his smile. "I saw that look when I said my name, you fear me, yet you don't kill me now when you have a perfect chance!" Sosuke said nothing but his frown deepened. "Was it because of what I carry… or because of my family name." The man's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, barely seen in the poor lighting, but that was all Naruto needed. "That's it, isn't it? You fought those of my clan before and you fear what I can do." He then unsheathed Benihime and pointed the blade at the man. "Then on the name of the Uzumaki and every other person who has suffered because of you. _You will fall to my blade_… And that is a promise."

Naruto and Sosuke starred at each other for a solid minute before the latter turned and began to leave again, knowing none of them would try and stop him now. "Then I must disappoint you and say that where you will be taken, getting stronger will be impossible."

"What do you mean _taken_?" Naruto questioned.

Sosuke could be heard chuckling once more, seeming to regain his cheerful mood. "You are about to learn the true meaning of the word 'scapegoat', that is why I let you live, for now at least. Every ninja's first priority is to their village, nothing else. Oh, and happy birthday." With that, Sosuke and Kaname disappeared without a trace.

A full minute of silence passed as the three who remained in the clearing waited to make sure the two were not returning. "What do we do now?" Tessai broke the silence as Naruto sheathed Benihime.

Itachi looked down at Isaribi once more. "If they are destined to become Hollows then it would be merciful to end their lives right now." The Uchiha said as he unsheathed his own sword and held it up, about to cut into the unconscious fish girl. "I have seen these monsters before and I would wish it upon no one to become one themselves."

Just before he brought his sword down, Naruto's next words froze the Uchiha in place. "I might be able to save them." The blonde said.

Itachi's head snapped to the younger boy's direction. "How?"

Naruto internally debated on whether or not to tell the two, as one _was_ a Missing-nin, from his own village no less. The disguised quickly decided that if it would save these people who were dragged into this, then he would do it. Screw the consequences. He hated it when people died. "I know the sealing technique he was talking about." He now had the other two's full attention. "The only difference is that I have the perfected version. If he was using a bastardized form of it than theoretically I should be able to fix it. I just don't know if it will work out perfectly or not. Even if it is it could take them months or even years to recuperate from nearly becoming a Hollow." Once more there was silence, only the sound of Itachi sheathing his blade as he walked over to Naruto and stood in front of him.

The Uchiha, being the taller of the two, kneeled down to be at Naruto's eye level and put his hands on the younger teen's shoulders. "I promised myself years ago that I would never let anymore of my comrades die if I could do something to prevent it. Right now there is nothing within my abilities that can save one who is dying right now. That's why I want you to promise me that you will do _anything_ and _everything_ to save everyone here…. Please."

Naruto looked into the man's eyes and saw no hint of deception. The blonde nodded. "I promise. If they have a chance to live, they will."

"Thank you." The Uchiha said as he stood up and walked away, giving one last glance to Isaribi. "It would be a bad idea for me to remain here, I am in the Bingo Book." The man then stopped in his steps and snapped his head to the side, gazing into the tree line.

"What is it?" Tessai asked, already on guard incase of an attacker.

"… Nothing." Itachi said after a moment of silence. "And Naruto."

"Yes?" The blonde questioned.

"… If Isaribi survives this, even if she will have to remain hidden from the world. Tell her that her captain will be waiting for her." With that, the Uchiha disappeared into a murder of ravens.

After a moment to collect his thoughts, Naruto walks over to Tessai and held up Benihime, allowing the Kumo-nin to get a good view of it. "I have a job to do, Tessai. I am going to save these people no matter what you say. Are you going to help me or not?" He said with a serious face.

The bespectacled man did not even think about it. "Of course, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto gave a smile before growing serious once more. "Benihime here." He gestured to the cane he was holding. "Has the seals needed for the technique already on her, but I need more ink for another part needed, called the Demon Swirl Seal. I don't have enough ink on me for all nine of them so we need to go back to my apartment in Konoha. The problem is we may not have enough time to just run there."

"I can fix that." Tessai said, getting a surprised look from the blonde. "Despite my age I am a master of Ninjutsu, and I know the perfect one to use." The man then clapped his hands together and a eerie green light could be seen between his palms. "Much like you, Uzumaki-san, I will do anything to protect my comrades, two of which are in danger now." He then slowly pulled his hands apart, showing what looked like a small sphere of green light between them. "Even this, Kinjutsu: Shunhen (Forbidden Technique: Area Flicker)!"

Naruto, Tessai, the nine barely living foreigners and all of their weapons disappeared in a bright green flash.

* * *

Yoruichi remained hiding behind the tree line. _"He saw me, I know he did, so why didn't he say anything."_ She wondered as she knew that the Uchiha made eye contact with her. _"Doesn't matter!"_ She shook her head to get rid of that train of thought. _"I got to get to Konoha, I am not letting the only two friends I have do this alone."_ With that the Shihoin heiress raced through the woods to her destination, unknowingly going faster than the local Toad Sannin.

* * *

Soi Fon stood atop the roof of the hotel they were staying at, trying to spot a certain purple-haired girl within the crowded streets of partying citizens. While she was worried about Yoruichi, she assumed that Tessai was with her so she should be safe. Before she could think any further she saw a blur leaping across the rooftops on the other side of the street from her. "Yoruichi-sama!" The petite girl called out, only then realizing that the supposed noble was traveling in a way only ninja could. _"So it wasn't a dream."_ She realized. The Shihoin heiress, who somehow heard Soi Fon over the loud people on the streets below, stopped on the rooftop directly across from the girl and looked around for the source of the voice. When she finally saw Soi Fon, Yoruichi thought for a moment about asking the younger girl for help, but washed that thought away. She had heard what Tessai said that Aizen Sosuke person had done to the supposedly 'inextinguishable flames'. She did not want Soi Fon to have to fight that. Making a final decision, the heiress turned away from the girl who could have been a true friend, given enough time, and continued to race towards Konoha, ignoring the girl calling after her as she gave chase.

"_I just hope nothing bad will happen, then maybe we can be actually friends."_ Yoruichi thought, giving one last glance to the girl who was quickly getting left behind.

But her prayers would be in vain.

* * *

The group of teleported people appeared on top of the Hokage Monument, a large mountain on the southern side of Konoha with the faces of the four Hokage carved into it.

"I didn't know where your apartment was, so I hope this is close enough." Tessai explained.

"It's fine." Naruto reassured him as he hooked Benihime onto his arm and put his hands into a cross-shape. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" A group of eleven clones appeared. Five of them each picked up one of the unconscious foreigners, two more worked together to pick up the silver-haired one they fought and two more picked up the large pink-haired man, being as they was too big for only one to carry. Of the last two clones, one picked up the giant mace and the other the large spear and whip. Tessai picked up one of the remaining people, Hiyori and the original Naruto held Isaribi. "Follow me." With that, they made their way to Naruto's apartment.

* * *

Yoruichi stopped on another rooftop, this time that of a building inside Konoha. She panted slightly as she looked around, only now realizing that she had no idea where Naruto lived. She had discarded her robes halfway through the forest between Otafuku Gai and Konoha, as they limited her leg movement. She now only wore skintight midnight-blue pants and a slightly baggier, sleeveless, collarless shirt of the same color. She had beige wrist warmers and leg warmers of the same color, both tied off in purplish straps. She had not even realized she was going as fast as she did, traveling the distance that took Naruto almost two hours at a leisurely pace in less than twenty minutes. Also unknowingly, she had happened to rush through the village gates when no guards were there, switching for the night shift.

She thought she was going crazy, the adrenaline rush combined with unmasked fear and paranoia put her on the verge of going into shock. Looking around, the purple-haired preteen could just make out something in the distance under the dim light the full moon gave off. It looked like a dozen or so figures silently falling from the large mountain in the back of the village. "Is that them?" She muttered to herself, silently hoping she was not just imagining it. Being the only lead she had, she jumped across the rooftops towards the falling figures, the near empty streets below her having a starling difference to the party–crazed town she had just been in not a half an hour earlier.

* * *

Tessai was the last to enter the apartment, following after the blonde and his clones. They had jumped off of the mountain, something that would kill a normal person, but they were ninja, not normal people. It was surprisingly easy to slow one's descent by sticking to a mountain face at the last second. As soon as he entered the apartment, he nearly dropped Hiyori at what he saw. "What is all of this?" He asked as the clones put whomever they were carrying down and puffed out of existence.

"Various side projects my _Kage Bunshin_ had been doing while I was away, but they all dispelled when I fell unconscious about a day ago." The original answered as he put Isaribi down and put Benihime on a nearby table. "Sorry if it's a bit messy."

Every space of the apartment, sans the ceiling, was covered in either seal arrays or large splotches of ink. On the far wall Tessai saw what looked like human bodies that had their skin and facial features torn off, leaving only muscle visible as they hung from the wall. The bodies were missing various limbs, none being whole. One even had a large hole over its entire torso, showing a skeletal system inside, but a surprising lack of blood and organs. The majority of the floor and shelves were taken up by bottles of some black-purple liquid or a red syrup-like substance that looked like blood. "Is that blood?" He asked, becoming slightly queasy.

"Yeah, my blood though. It's needed for sealing techniques." Naruto answered as he searched around for a light switch.

That put Tessai to ease, if only slightly. "And the bodies?" He asked, eyeing the human shaped pieces of muscle hanging on the wall.

"Those?" Naruto asked, looking to the bodies as well. "A little something I had my Kage Bunshin working on. They aren't real, don't worry. I call them _Gigai (Faux Body)_, I'll tell you what they're for later." Naruto answered, finally finding the light switch. "Here we go!" He said as he flipped on the lights.

It was then that Tessai finally took in Naruto's appearance. "Why do you look different?"

Naruto, confused, looked down at himself. "Oh, right, sorry." He then put his hands in a tiger seal. "Kai (Release)!" A plume of smoke surrounded Naruto. When it cleared it showed his hair, once more pale, whisker marks gone, and eyes gray. He state of clothing once more returned to the burnt scraps he had. "I really need to change clothes." He said, frowning at his attire. "Good thing were in my apartment. Search each of them for a weapon." He said to Tessai, pointing to the nine unconscious people. "Try and find something they're comfortable using, like the mace for the afro guy. If you can't find anything then just find a kunai or something." Getting a nod from the older teen, Naruto moved into his bedroom to get something else to wear, discarding the rags he had on, leaving him in frog-themed boxers and the wooden sandals Yoruichi gave him. Moving towards the closet, he let out a loud groan. "Aw come on!" He called out. Every, and I do mean every form of clothing that was in his closet was dripping with a blackish liquid. "Did the clones _have_ to dispel _right_ here with a bottle of ink?" He questioned no one in particular. Grumbling, he turned to where he threw his destroyed and burnt clothes, figuring wearing them was better than only being in his underwear. But to his dismay, he threw the rags right into another puddle of ink, getting another annoyed from the pale-blonde. There was one orange shirt laying on the bed, a newer one without all the pockets and swirl marks. "You know what, screw it!" He then walked back into the main room, deciding he would look only more stupid then he already did if he wore a shirt and boxers, instead of just the latter. Plus he was going to be throwing ink everywhere and he did not want is last good shirt to get messed up as well. Tessai looked at Naruto's lack of clothing, but made no comment on it, already having a guess as to what happened based what he heard the younger teen say.

Almost as an after thought, Naruto created half a dozen more _Kage Bunshin_ and had them clear out the main room, as he would need the space. The copies quickly got to work moving the _Gigai_ to another room and mopping up the ink and various sealing arrays. Leaving Naruto to move from shelf to shelf looking for any usable ink out of the dozens of bottles his clones had made. The man he could call a friend, or a comrade at the least, spoke up. "Are you certain you can do this?" Tessai asked.

The pale-blonde scowled. "No, I'm not. But if what _he_ said is true then it should work." He opened a cabinet and pushed bottles out of the way, knocking some on the floor and breaking them. "Did you find something to use for all of them?" He questioned as he salvaged a bottle of usable ink before moving to the next cabinet.

"Yes." Tessai replied. "I found a spear, four kunai knives, a whip, the mace, a vial of seawater, and a ring."

"A ring?" Naruto questioned without looking away from the cabinets. "Not much of a weapon."

"Its for Shinji-san, I know how he fights." Tessai explained, getting a shrug from the pale-blonde.

"If you say so." All conversation stopped when a knock on the apartment door was heard. The two males looked at each other and shared a nod. Naruto moved towards the door, grabbing Benihime off the table and flicking it out of its scabbard an inch. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it quickly, opening the door only a crack. He blinked in surprise at whom he saw. "Yoruichi-chan?" The door was thrown open and said girl ran in and pulled Naruto into a hug, catching him completely off guard. "What are you doing here? Tessai said you were in Otafuku Gai." The blonde said, putting Benihime back on a table and hugging the girl back, she being only a couple inches shorter than him.

"I was." Yoruichi panted out, appearing to be tired. "I saw the explosion and ran to go see. When I got there I saw you and Tessai and that other guy and all the other dead people, and I thought I saw Shinji-san and Hiyori-san and then the other two people came in, and you were talking and then their was the fire and the wind and that creepy smile and then they left and then the guy who threw the fire left but I think he saw me first and then I ran all the way here but Soi Fon was in the way and I came here and-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Yoruichi-chan." Was the last thing Tessai heard Naruto say before he tuned out their conversation to give the two privacy, though he was glad the clones finished cleaning up the room. He did notice, much to his surprise, that Yoruichi was blushing horribly at one point. Tessai gave a small smile to that. _"I'm glad she made a friend."_ He thought, happy for her. Eventually Yoruichi left and Naruto replaced his Henge. Tessai understood why, he would not want to walk around almost naked either, even if he was in his own house.

* * *

The Shihoin heiress walked through the strangely empty streets of the Village Hidden Among the Leaves, though with it being almost midnight it was understandable. "This is one hell of a night." The heiress said to no one in particular. Under her left arm she had a bundle of dark green clothes. Soon after she left the apartment, it became painfully obvious that almost all of the stores were closed. While ninja villages often had stores open twenty-four/seven, as Shinobi rarely had time they were not on duty, today seemed to be a special day, so all store were closed. The reason being? Yoruichi had no idea, maybe it had to do with why there was a festival in Otafuku Gai. Anyway, as the stores were all closed, and the heiress had no money on her anyway, she was forced to… borrow the clothing. While a noble would never steal anything, Yoruichi was not your average helpless noble, often having to 'borrow' scrolls on various Taijutsu exercises and whatnot, as if she asked for them, or even got Tessai to pick them up for her, people would become suspicious. Being in a hurry, she picked out the first green shirt and pants she had seen in the men's section, so she had no idea if they would fit or not. Along with the clothes for her friend, she picked up a long beige scarf for herself, as it was quite cold on the October night.

Turning the corner, she saw Naruto's apartment less than a block away. Her smile she did not realize even appeared when she saw her destination disappeared when she realized there were about a dozen people, garbed in Shinobi attire and porcelain face masks, surrounding the building. _"ANBU?"_ She realized as she ducked behind the corner she just turned, glad to see none of the elite ninja noticed her. _"What are they doing around Naruto-kun's apartment?"_ All thoughts were trashed as she saw three more ANBU come out of the apartment, pushing two restrained people along forcefully. The heiress gasped as she realized the two obvious prisoners were her friends, her _only_ friends.

The ANBU unit surrounded the still dazed duo and moved through the empty streets at a steady pace, leaving a single Shinobi to guard the front door to the apartment and the shocked purple-haired girl staring where they were. Yoruichi regained her senses soon after and began to follow the ANBU, far enough away not to notify the far superior ninja that she was there. No one noticed the man standing on a nearby rooftop with odd, gravity-defying hair as his most noticeable feature in the dark night, disappear in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

Naruto found himself staring at a large ornate oak door, Tessai to his right and the ANBU surrounding both of them. Glancing down at his wrists he saw handcuff made of some kind of metal, iron probably. Looking closer at the cuffs, one would see lines going across the surface, nearly invisible on the slightly lighter colored metal. For someone with Naruto's eye for detail, it was possible to see that the lines made a seal. To be more precise, it was a Chakra Scrambler Seal. It basically screwed up one's Chakra Pathways so that they were unable to do anything Chakra related, Jutsu or otherwise. The seal was commonly used on prisoners so that they cannot resist and, much to Naruto's surprise and horror, that is exactly what he was at the moment; a prisoner. To make matters worse, the seal seemed to mess with his Reiatsu Pathways. Not at the same level as it effected Chakra, if he had more control Naruto could use his Reiatsu without a problem… He just did not have that control. Somehow, whether by luck or something else, his Henge did not go away, which he was grateful for, not wanting to have to walk around half naked.

The group was somewhere inside the Hokage Tower. Naruto had seen this large door before on his many visits, but he had never gone in. He remained silent as one of the ANBU knocked on the door and waited for a reply. The disguised blonde knew from being caught after his many prank sprees that talking only made things worse, not to mention pissed off whoever was escorting him.

The large oak doors opened outwards with no sound, showing to be almost a foot thick of solid wood. Inside was a dark room with no lights. _"Oh great, it's a cell."_ Naruto realized, but then grew confused. _"But then why have such a fancy door?"_ With a shove from the ANBU behind him, the two prisoners walked into the center of the cell, the walls lined with stone. Two of the ANBU stayed outside in the hallway as the large door closed, silently. The rest of the squad circled Naruto and Tessai, facing them. Then, a bright light shone right over the two prisoners, blinding them temporarily. _"Perfect, even worse than a cell, the torture chamber."_ The disguised blonde began to become worried. His thoughts were once more cut off as some one spoke.

"Uzumaki Naruto." A voice stated, but Naruto could not see from where with the light in his face. "Do you have anything to say?"

"Not really, but could you tell me why I'm here?" Said teenager asked, utterly confused. Whispers could be heard throughout the room once that was said. _"Okay, a lot of people are watching, so this isn't the torture chamber. Then what could it- A you've got to be kidding me! I'm in a goddamn courtroom! That's even worse then torture!"_ The voice called for silence, which was soon given. It was that Naruto recognized the voice. "Jiji? Is that you?" He asked, squinting his eyes to try and see the old Hokage.

There was silence for a moment before the voice of Sarutobi Hiruzen could be heard. "It is I, Naruto."

Said teen, while confused at the saddened tone the unseen man spoke it, continued to question. "Oi! Jiji, some ANBU told me you called for me to be arrested, why'd you do that? You always said I was like a grandson to you."

There was silence once more, followed by a sigh. "As close as we may be, Naruto, I am the Hokage, my first priority is to their village, which you have threatened the safety of."

The disguised blonde was about to yell at the old man again, when he remembered the words Aizen had said earlier that night. _"You are about to learn the true meaning of the word 'scapegoat', that is why I let you leave here alive. Every ninja's first priority is to their village, nothing else."_ His eyes widened as he finally realized what the bespectacled man had meant. _"I'm supposed to take the fall for his experiments!"_

* * *

The Shihoin heiress starred at the Hokage Tower from the corner she was hiding behind, roughly a hundred feet from the front entrance. There were two ANBU visible guarding the doorway she saw her two friends go through. _"Now what?"_ She thought, her mind going a mile a minute. _"All I can think of is to rush in there. ANBU may be the elite at fighting, but I know for a fact that there is only a certain speed most humans can go without a Jutsu to make them go faster. I also know that _I_ can surpass that speed. If I'm lucky I can take out these two without anyone noticing."_ Yoruichi took a steadying breath, tensing her muscles. She tying her newly 'borrowed' scarf around her head to hide her face, just incase, and hung the clothes she got for Naruto on a nearby pipe, remembering the location to find it later. _"Here we go."_ Just before she rushed out from behind the corner, she froze. _"What the hell am I doing?"_ That little voice in her head suddenly spoke up. _"I'm the last of my clan, I have a life that anyone would wish to have. I can have anything I want, and I'm going to give it all away for some guy I barely know and a bodyguard. I do this and I would be lucky if I could ever go back to my normal life, not to mention I'll have to face that Aizen guy sooner or later. Is it really all worth it?"_

Shihoin Yoruichi was lost. What could she possibly have to gain from doing this? She never even had to make a choice anywhere close to this important before. It was always some advisor or even the Raikage or Daimyo doing it for her. That was the life she was used to, why would she give it away on some half-assed idea and life-threatening plan that would get her nowhere. What could she possibly gain from-

"_That's okay, Yoruichi-chan. I can help you with that."_

"_Y-You would do that?"_

"_Sure, we're friends, right?"_

"_R-Right."_

"_A universal law of being friends is that we help each other out whenever we can. I help you, you help me. Got it?"_

"… _Yeah, I think I do, Naruto-san."_

"_No 'san'!"_

"Friends help each other out, don't they?" The heiress said, her eyes closed as she stared at her feet.

A moment later her head snapped up and her eyes opened, a fire never before seen burning in her yellow irises. Quickly tightening her scarf around her head to make sure it did not fall off.

"It's worth it."

With that, she rushed around the corner and charged at what could be her end, not that she cared.

* * *

"You have to listen to me Jiji!" Naruto yelled at where he thought the old Hokage was, not being able to see him with the blinding light hanging over his head. "I didn't do any of those things! They aren't even dead!"

A swirl of leaves stopped Naruto's rant. A kneeling ANBU appeared in the room and spoke. "Hokage-sama, we checked the apartment and found large amounts of blood, the dead bodies of the six foreign Shinobi and three Kunoichi., and several unrecognizable bodies that appeared to have been skinned."

Whispers enveloped the room as the unseen people conversed. Naruto grit his teeth and yelled once more in the direction he thought Hiruzen was in. "They aren't dead! The foreigners are alive!"

"They had no pulse." The still kneeling ANBU said.

"I can save them!" Naruto yelled back.

"What about the blood? What is your excuse?" A voice belonging to someone Naruto did not know asked.

"It's my blood! I use it for sealing!"

"And the skinned bodies?" Another voice asked, this one sounding female.

"Fakes, I made them from scrap myself!" Naruto yelled back. "If the ANBU done its job, it would be obvious that they are not real as they lack faces, organs, and an entire goddamn circulatory system!" The disguised blonde was getting angry, he had to get back and save the semi-Hollow individuals in his apartment. He already knew that they had no pulse, they did not have one when he first saw them, yet the one girl with the spear still managed to talk despite her heart not working. If Naruto had to guess he would say that the white substance was keeping them alive, even without a functioning heart.

"Are you trying to tell me that you have a reason to make bodies?" Another unknown, and very sarcastic, voice spoke up.

Naruto grit his teeth, he had to save get back to his apartment, and quickly. "It was an idea I had regarding clones. Now, can you get me out of these handcuffs!"

It was then that Tessai, who had remained silent, spoke up. "May I ask a question?"

"… You may." Hiruzen said, sounding slightly unwilling.

"While I did hear the accusations that your ANBU said, but can you clarify them, please?" The older of the two prisoners did not give away whatever it was he was thinking, his voice sounding sincerely confused.

Whispering, albeit quieter than before, could once more be heard. Another voice, this one male and slightly raspy, answered. "We have a reliable witness that claims to have seen you conversing with one Uchiha Itachi."

"I got into a fight with him." Naruto answered bluntly, getting more annoyed by the second.

"So now you, a measly Genin, can defeat off a former ANBU-captain and S-Rank Nuke-nin?" A feminine voice questioned in obvious disbelief, followed by a very unfeminine snort. "And then somehow get into a honest conversation with said traitor?"

"Defeat? Hell no." The disguised blonde would have laughed if he were not so annoyed. "Hold off long enough for him to calm down? Apparently. Now what was that part of illegal experiments or something?"

"… The nine foreign persons found in your apartment, bodies, large amounts of unknown seals, and blood all pint to something that can really only be compared to the acts of Orochimaru of the Sannin."

"I already explained all of that." Naruto nearly growled, his eye twitching. "Why does Konoha even care if some foreign ninja die?" He then paused, momentarily getting his growing temper under control. "Okay, that was worded badly but it's an honest question. You probably went to war with the country most of them belong to at one point or another, so why does it matter?"

"Peace." The voice of the Hokage immediately spoke up, stopping anyone else who was thinking of doing so. "War is something that must always be avoided. If the death of a Shinobi, no matter the rank or village of origin, can be pinned on another it will lead to war. As such it is a crime that is accepted among all of the Hidden Villages throughout the world. It is also why Tessai-san here will be escorted back to Kumo where they will decide his punishment, as we can not rightly do so for a foreigner."

"As for you, _boy_." The raspy male voice spoke up once more. "It has already been decided what your punishment will be."

Naruto blinked, not comprehending. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything wrong?"

"We have evidence that says otherwise." A feminine voice spoke up.

"Well then the evidence is wrong, I'm not the guy you're looking for." Naruto's mind, which is usually working a mile a minute, was now at a dead stop. This was not how it his life was supposed to go. He would be a Shinobi of Konoha for as long as he could, marry a cute girl at some point and start a family like the one he never had. Get the position of Hokage if at all possible. Go out in a blaze of glory, saving the whole world or something like that. Now he was being punished for something he did not do?

"Then who are we looking for?" Another voice asked.

Maybe he was over reacting, he could still pin this on the real culprit. Even if he did not, there was still a chance he could escape from whatever cell he was thrown in. "Aizen Sosuke, at least that was the name he gave me."

"I am not familiar with that name."

"It matters not." Sarutobi Hiruzen said, sounding far older than he was. "There is no evidence pointing away from what has already been spoken of. Your argument is ineffective." A sigh could be heard, followed by a minute of silence. "Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konohagakure no Sato, you are hereby sentenced to execution for treason. Tsukabishi Tessai, Shinobi of Kumogakure no Sato and personal guard of Shihoin Yoruichi, you will be sent to a trail given by the Raikage for your crimes."

What? They were not even going to throw him in a cell, just outright execute him? "B-But-"

"Trial adjourned."

"B-But, I didn't do it… I DIDN'T DO IT, JIJI!" Naruto shouted out, not even caring that tears began to stream down his cheeks. "WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME, JIJI!"

"ANBU, take him away."

"JIJI!"

* * *

"Intruder in the Hokage Tower! Intruder in the Hokage Tower! Intruder in-"

The ceiling speaker broke as the, now broken door to said tower smashed into it, having been broken off when a dark blur crashed into it. The wood splinters continued on, breaking all of the lights in the lobby and destroying them as well, bathing the room in darkness.

Yoruichi stopped for only a moment, trying to find where her friend had been taken, before seeing a large door guarded by two ANBU… who were now rushing her. Rushing forwards, faster than the two could follow in the sudden darkness, the heiress gathered Chakra, more specifically Lightning Chakra, all along her back. Skidding to a stop and rearing her arm back as a white lightning began to dance around her upper form.

"_Please be okay, Naruto-kun. I'll get you out of here."_

* * *

"_Wait, let me get this straight. You _made_ that move you just used?" Naruto asked in disbelief to the purple-haired girl._

"_W-Well, yeah." Yoruichi answered, embarrassed by the look he was giving her. "Will you stop looking at me like that?"_

"_Sorry, but that's just… wow." The pale-blonde did as requested and looked away. "That's impressive for someone so young to make such an awesome technique."_

_The heiress blushed at the praise, not that Naruto saw it, still looking away. "What makes you think it's so great?"_

_The pre-teen turned back and gave her a deadpanned look. "You nearly killed me with it not twenty minutes ago."_

"_O-Oh, right, sorry." She stuttered, her blush deepening._

"_Forget about it." Naruto brushed it off, leaning back on tree behind them and looking up at the bright sky, the girl soon following his example. A comfortable silence passed, only broken when Naruto spoke once more. "So, what's it called?"_

"_Excuse me?" Yoruichi asked, turning back to the boy with a confused look._

"_You know, its name."_

"_Name?"_

_The pale-blonde sighed. "Don't you ever wonder why ninja call out the name of their attack right before they use it?" Seeing a thoughtful look on the young woman's face, he continued. "It has been proven that most, if not all Jutsu, become stronger by emotion. The best way to show said emotion is to say the name. If you shout out the name of a technique it would double in power _at least_." Waiting for Yoruichi to absorb this, Naruto continued. "So, if you give it a name, then call it out right before you launch it, it will be even stronger. See where I'm going with this?"_

"_I think so." She nodded, before a small frown showed on her beautiful features. "But I'm not very good at thinking up names."_

_Naruto barked out a laugh. "That's okay, Yoruichi-chan. I can help you with that."_

"_Y-You would do that?" She sounded honestly surprised._

"_Sure, we're friends, right?" He gave her another fox-like smile._

"_R-Right."_

"_A universal law of being friends is that we help each other out whenever we can. I help you, you help me. Got it?"_

"… _Yeah, I think I do, Naruto-san."_

"_No 'san'!" He snapped, bopping her on the head again, getting a pout and glare in return. Upon seeing this, the boy laughed._

"_Yeah, yeah, enough with the monologues." The heiress said, still pouting, absently rubbing her head._

"_Fine… Oh! I got it!" He suddenly said, sitting up and snapping his fingers._

"_Got what?" Yoruichi asked, confused._

"_A name for that technique of yours."_

"_Really? That was fast." She blinked in surprise, but eager to hear what he thought of._

"_I know, that just to shows how awesome I am." The pale-blonde said, pumping his fist on his chest._

"_Naruto, back on track." Yoruichi said, annoyed, only to once more be knocked lightly on her head. "What was that for?"_

"_I told you, call me 'kun', Yoruichi-chan." He said with that irresistible smile of his._

"_R-Right." She stuttered out, her damned blush returning._

"_Anyway, I think the name is fitting, but I need to do this right." He then cleared his throat in an exasperate way and spoke in an overdramatic voice. "From now on, the technique created by the lovely Yoruichi will be known as…"_

* * *

White lightning burst from the girl's shoulders, shredding the back of her shirt. Her eyes lit up a vibrant white as the energy coursed down her arms and focused around her fists. The two ANBU guards who had rushed after her, were caught in the unexpected blast of lightning and thrown back. The last Shihoin brought her right fist forward to the large, ornate door of solid wood made by Senju Hashirama himself.

"Shunko (Flash Cry)!"

* * *

"Intruder in the Hokage Tower!"

"What's going on?" Hiruzen yelled, the ANBU surrounding the two prisoners looking just as confused as he sounded. A loud banging sound echoed from the room on the other side of the large door. "ANBU, Go!" The masked ninjas swiftly turned around and dashed to the door, only for said entrance to be blown open with a white flash. Dust and debris clouded everyone's view, erecting a coughing fit from everyone present. When it cleared, the ANBU were just getting off the ground, injuries varying, and the door was utterly destroyed. That was not the worst thing in the mind of the elderly leader, though.

The two prisoners were gone.

* * *

Naruto's own coughing fit ended as he lay on cold concrete. "W-Where am I?" He glanced upwards to see the silhouette of a person, their leg coming down in an axe kick. "Whoa!" His mind not working fast enough, the disguised blonde was unable to move in time to avoid the deadly limp, only for it to make contact with his handcuffs and shatter them. "… Huh?" He blinked in confusion. Looking back at the person, the teen could not hide the surprise on his face. "Yoruichi-chan?" The heiress nodded mutely, panting, and moved over to do the same with Tessai's cuffs, as the older teen was lying close by. "What are you do- Hey, what's wrong?" Naruto was starting to worry when the dark-skinned girl started to fall, acting quickly and catching her. "Yoruichi-chan! You okay?"

"Yeah *pant* ju- *pant* just *pant* tired." She gasped out, looking to be on the verge of falling into a coma, not even being able to stand as Naruto was holding her up. "That *pant* I never *pant* never put that much *pant* power into it *pant* before."

"Just rest, you need it." The disguised blonde said in as soothing voice he could say, given the situation. The girl did not bother to try and form a sentence and settled for nodding her head.

"What do we do now?" Tessai asked, standing close to the other two, absently rubbing his wrists where the cuffs had been. "It won't be long until this entire village is searching for us. We need to get out-"

"I know that!" Naruto snapped, cutting him off. Taking a deep breath to steady his still agitated nerves, he continued, absently rubbing his hand along the uncovered back of the girl in his arms, not noticing her smile. "… We have to get out of here." He still could not believe he was saying this, but there were no other options. "Can you use that teleporting technique of yours again?"

"Oh course." Tessai said with utmost confidence.

"Good." The teen said, quickly working out a plan of action. "Okay, I'll run a distraction and head for the west gate. You go back to my apartment and get those people out of there. Take them as far east as you can, try and stay hidden in the forest. I'll make a few hundred clones and have them split up. The real me will circle back around to my apartment, grab the sealing materials I need and leave the village as well."

"How will we find each other?" Tessai asked, getting a light curse from his blonde companion.

Naruto rubbed his temples with his hand not stroking the back of the now relaxed girl. An idea suddenly hit the teen, seen as he snapped his fingers. "Got it, just give me a minute." Closing his eyes he concentrated and tried to reach one of his newest… friend, for lack of a better word. _"Benihime, you there?"_ He thought, knowing he left the cane at his apartment. _"Benihime? Hello?"_ There was quiet mumbling sound in his mind, but nothing else. _"… Benihime!"_

::Wha-what? I'm awake!::

"_You were asleep?"_

::… No.::

"_Whatever, can you tell me where you are right now?"_

::Your shitty apartment, though the door is open. It looks worse than the last time I was here.::

"_So you can see what's around you?"_

::Well, yeah. What are you getting at, dumbass?::

"_You'll see, just don't fall asleep again."_

::No promises.::

"Alright, Tessai." Naruto spoke out loud, getting the bespectacled man's attention. "When you get to my apartment, take Benihime with you; it's the cane I left there. As long as you have her I can find you."

Tessai nodded and looked about to leave, but stopped. "What about her?" He focused on the nearly sleeping girl in Naruto's arms. She probably would be asleep but her still racing heart was keeping her awake.

The disguised blonde, who by now had actually forgotten that he still had his Henge (Transformation) up, looked at the girl as well, who was completely oblivious to the conversation. "… I'll keep her safe. I'll treat he like a prisoner and drop her off somewhere. She'll get away clean."

The older teen nodded. "I'll leave her to you, Naruto-san."

"Oh, before I forget." Naruto said, stopping Tessai once more. "Get a change of clothes, something a civilian would wear." With one last nod, the bespectacled teen left. The disguised blonde sighed and pushed Yoruichi off of his chest, holding her by her shoulders so she would not fall.

The heiress, noticing the lack of warmth, groggily opened her eyes. "What's going on? Where's Tessai?" She asked, noticing her friend was not there. "Naruto-kun where's Tessai? Why aren't you looking at me?"

The slightly older of the two was looking anywhere but the girl he was holding up, a blush barely visible in the light of the still full moon. "Your, uh, shirt."

Confused, the purple-haired girl looked down at her shirt… with the back of it having been completely disintegrated by her Shunko (Flash Cry), was now on the ground and completely impossible to be worn, her just as destroyed bra lying close by. She felt the obvious impulse to cover herself, but her entire body was numb. "I can't move." She admitted.

Naruto, still looking away, more out of embarrassment than chivalry, decided to give the girl his own shirt, only to remember that his clothes were just an illusion and he did not actually have a shirt, or even pants for that matter, on at the moment. _"Okay, I'm in a dark alley in the middle of the night, half naked, holding a topless girl who can't move… I can with the utmost certainty say that that has never happened to me before."_

::Oh the ways that can be interpreted.:: Benihime spoke up, getting a twitch from the blonde.

"_Shut it. Has Tessai found you yet?"_

::The guy with the glasses? No, why? He your butt-buddy or something?:: Once more, Naruto twitched, but pushed away his annoyance as he had more important things to do.

"_I'm going to ignore that."_ He then turned back to Yoruichi, quickly focusing on her eyes so his gaze did not wander to 'lower areas'. "Yoruichi-chan, thank you for getting me out of there." The girl smiled at that, though was still uncomfortable with her state of clothing, she knew Naruto would not do anything. "You are one of the best friends I've ever had." Her smile widened. "So for that reason I can't drag you into this anymore. I'll get you some clothes and drop you off somewhere where the ANBU will find you."

"NO!" Yoruichi shouted, while this surprised the blonde, her next words threw him for a loop. "I'm coming with you!"

"Huh?" Naruto asked, not able to say much else. "You can't come with me, I'm a wanted criminal!" He tried to reason.

"I don't care!" She instantly responded, her golden eyes burning through his resolve.

"You don't understand-"

"I don't understand _what_?" She interrupted him, not backing down in the slightest. "I don't understand that you were framed by an obviously insane mass-murderer? I don't understand that you were probably sentenced to death? Or do I not understand that you may be running for the rest of your life? Tell me what I don't understand!" Naruto tried to answer, but only stuttered a few unintelligible syllables before Yoruichi continued her rant. "I think _you_ are the one who doesn't understand! You and Tessai are the only friends I have _ever_ had! I have no family! The life I have back in Kumo is a hundred-times better than yours _at least_, and I'm willing to give it away in the blink of an eye!" She then leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "If I wasn't ready to risk my life for you, why would I have charged into the _Hokage's_ Tower to save you?" Her rhetorical question was not answered, as Naruto suddenly heard quite sobs coming for the girl in his arms. "Take me with you… _please._"

The boy sighed in defeat, he could never contest with a crying girl. His ninja senses flared and he instinctually ducked down and shielded Yoruichi as an explosion rocked the area just behind him.

"This is Kuma (Bear)." A voice of what was obviously an ANBU could be heard. "I found the target in sector fifty-two. I have engaged and am currently waiting for confirmed defeat."

"If I take you with me," Naruto whispered to Yoruichi, neither moving in the now smoke covered alley. "-you owe me an explanation on what you meant, got it?"

"Oh course." The girl nodded, giving a slight smile. "Just so long as you give me an explanation as well."

Naruto in return gave her his own, small smile, for some reason giving the Shihoin the feelings of butterflies in her stomach when she saw it. "You got it." He then put one arm under the girl's legs and another behind her neck. "Now let's get you out of here."

"What are you…" She trailed off, worried as his smile changed to a more mischievous one. "Why are you smiling like- AHHH! Put me down!" She screamed as he pulled her up and sling her over his right shoulder into a fireman's carry, keeping one hand on her bare back to keep her from falling. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Exactly what I said I'd do." He brought his free hand up in a half Tiger seal and flared his insanely large stores of Chakra. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!"

The small, relatively speaking, cloud of smoke caused by the earlier explosion stood no hope at remaining after a far larger plume of smoke engulfed it and more than an entire block. "This is *cough* Kuma. Target *cough* seems to have a hostage and *cough* has created an unknown amount *cough* of Kage Bunshin." The ANBU said into his headset. Just then the smoke began to clear. "Smoke from technique *cough* is clearing. It-" The ANBU suddenly cut off.

"_Kuma_." The voice of The ANBU's captain was heard over his headset. "_Kuma, come in, are you there?_"

"…"

"_Kuma! Answer me!_"

"… Damn."

"_Can you repeat that?_"

"… Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

"_Granted._"

"We're in for a _long_ night." Kuma finished, still in shock. For coming into view as the smoke cleared were hundreds upon hundreds of copies of the blonde prisoner. As the smoke continued to clear, even _more_ could be seen. "Correction, Sir. We're in for a _very long_ night."

The army of Naruto Clones took off as one in random directions just as every other ninja available, ranging from Chunin to ANBU, arrived at the seen. The ninja, after getting over their shock at seeing a _Genin_ making more clones then thought possible for anyone, set to work at destroying the army in anyway they could. The clones did not fight back, only flee, which in itself was a problem for most, as the boy was known to outrun ANBU on multiple occasions, mostly after a prank of some sort. As such, it took a long time for any ninja to get within attacking range of the blonde, making the task of destroying the entire army a very long process. The only problem, for Naruto at least, was none of the clones were carrying Yoruichi.

"This is Karasu (Crow)." An ANBU said into a headset as he ran along rooftops. "Target found with hostage on street in area twenty-two, going west."

"_Can you identify the hostage?_" Another ANBU asked back.

"It appears to be the ambassador from Kumogakure no Sato." Karasu said back.

On the ground, Naruto was cursing as he ran, having noticed the ANBU. "Dammit, not good." He then had an idea. "I'm not very good with aiming this and it doesn't last very long, even with the prayer. Oh well, no other choice." He then began gathering Reiatsu to his throat. "_Rulers of light, thieves of shadow. Calling for thee who walks in darkness. I wish to find she whom is hidden, bring about my wish._ Bakudo no Ni: Shiochi (Way of Binding Number Two: Oversight)." Holding up his free hand and pointing at the ANBU following him, his disguised blue eyes flashing black for a moment before returning.

Karasu suddenly lost his vision as everything went dark. But being an elite he was, it did not restrict him in his chase, using his other highly trained senses to guide him. He regained his vision less than a minute later, but cursed as he saw not one but three dozen targets running on the street, each carrying a copy of the Kumo ambassador in a fireman's carry. Not a second later, they all spilt away in random directions. Karasu took a guess at which one was real and launched a kunai knife. It struck true, only for the Naruto to disappear in a puff of smoke, followed shortly by the 'ambassador'.

"Target lost." Karasu reported, coming to a stop. "He also appears to have an ability in an unknown Genjutsu."

While it was now impossible to tell the difference between the real Naruto and his clones, the extra weight being carried made it much easier for the ninja of Konoha to catch up to them, though they needed to be more careful to not hit the ambassador incase it was the real one. The real Naruto once more found himself on a main road, the west gate coming into view. Glancing behind him, Naruto saw three squads of ninja closing in. Looking forward, it only got worse as he saw the large gates were closing, rather quickly considering their size. The disguised blonde was already channeling Chakra to his legs to increase his speed, so he started to channel Reiatsu as well in hopes of going even faster.

Bad idea.

The two energies collided and the result was… explosive.

Naruto's feet felt to be on fire as he was launched into the air by an explosion that occurred literally right under the soles of his feet. Ironically, it launched him towards the gate he was heading for. Unfortunately, said gates were now closed. Even worse, he was flying through the air at high speeds with no way to stop. "No! No! No! No! I will not become a pancake!" He yelled as he neared the gate, once more pointing out his free hand. "_Ye lord. Mask of life and mind, all creation flutter of feathers, ye who bares my name. Force of push, lives of few, stand towards nothingness._ Hado no Ichi: Sho (Way of Destruction Number One: Thrust)!" The invisible force hit the gateway, not even denting it as if to show how sturdy the wooden doors were. But it did its job and stopped the blonde from crashing, at the cost of pain coursing through his free arm until it went numb. Naruto was close enough to the gate that he was able to stand on it, using Chakra to stick. _"Note to self, never mix Chakra and Reiatsu. I can barely move my legs now. Arm isn't much better."_

"Mah, mah Naruto, what are you doing now?"

The disguised blonde froze and looked to the voice, which originated farther down the gate then he was standing. Swallowing nervously when he saw whom it was, Naruto started channeling Chakra to his injured limps in an attempt to heal them faster. "H-Hey, Kaka-sensei."

The elite Jonin stood there, garbed in his usual ANBU outfit and Jonin flask jacket. A dark face mask covered everything below his eyes, while his tilted Konoha headband covered one of said eyes. His silver hair stood up like his namesake, even when he was standing on a wall and parallel to the ground. While the Jonin seemed as bored as ever, for those who knew him, Naruto included, it was quite obvious he was pissed. "Are you going to answer my question, Naruto." His voice was barely restrained from lashing out at the blonde. "I will not repeat myself again, what are you doing?"

"W-Well, uh." He then sensed a presence behind him, higher up on the gate.

"S-Soi Fon?" He heard Yoruichi question. Naruto glanced over his shoulder to see the petite girl standing on the gate as well, panting horribly and drenched in sweat. Her eyes held only pure fury, which only grew when she saw the state of Yoruichi, namely what she was wearing, or lack there of.

"Who are you? What the hell do you think your doing with Yoruichi-sama!" She shouted, gritting her teeth. "What the fuck do you think gives you the right to do anything to her you bastard!" Yoruichi stayed silent, mostly because she was still to tired to speak loud enough for anyone besides Naruto to hear her, but also because she had never heard the petite girl curse that much, if at all.

Naruto turned back to his silver-haired sensei and noticed that the rest of the pursuit squads were now running up the gate towards him. Hatake Kakashi kept his rock hard gaze on Naruto, his fist clenching until the knuckles turned white. "Answer me, _Genin_." The Jonin hissed out, surprising his, now former, student by the hostility. "You wear the headband but yet you are acting against the village you swore to protect." Naruto was now surrounded on all sides by the other ninja, each waiting for an opening. "I do not know what is going through that mind of yours, _Genin_, but I do know one thing…" Kakashi trailed off as he drew a kunai and held it in reverse grip, slowly moving into a fighting stance. "… Your parents would be ashamed of you."

Naruto froze at hearing that, the hand he did not even know was moving towards the piece of metal tied around his forehead stopped as well. "Y-You k-k-knew my p-parents?" He stuttered out with a combination of disbelief and hope in his voice.

Kakashi moved his freehand and shifted his own headband, revealing his Sharingan eye and a vertical scar. It was then that the full moon once more shone as a cloud moved out of its way, revealing tears slowly flowing out of the Jonin's eyes, moving strangely as he was standing on a vertical surface. "They were great people, and you defy their memory, _why_?"

Naruto stared at the man, not knowing what to do. He then felt Yoruichi shift slightly and his eyes hardened as he remembered his resolve. He stared back at Kakashi, the fire in his eyes relit.

::Oi, dumbass, that Tessai guy just teleported the others laying around in your shitty apartment and me to somewhere. I can guide you here as I feel your Reiatsu. Just thought that's what you wanted to know.:: Benihime suddenly said, getting a slight nod from Naruto.

"You once said something, Kaka-sensei." The disguised blonde said, getting no reaction from the man. "Those who disobey rules are trash…"

"And those who betray their comrades are worse than trash." Kakashi finished, now fully into his fighting stance, but letting the boy talk first.

"Can you be comrades with someone you've never met before?" Naruto asked, no one knowing how to answer, not that he was expecting one. "Even if you can't, I consider those of my diseased clan my comrades, I consider those that are falling to the same fate they did my comrades, and I consider anyone who sides with the man who caused it my enemy. I am following what you said to the truest, Kaka-sensei!" Naruto then tightened the strap the held his headband in place and made a fist with his hand, holding it in front of his face while the other continued to keep Yoruichi in place. "I will protect those who need it, I will save those I can, I will kill those who deserve it!" His clenched fist then began to glow from the energy being channeled to it. What scared the surrounding ninja was that it was not Chakra. "This is my new nindo, and I will follow it no matter what! I will protect Konoha! I will save the foreigners! I will kill Aizen!" One of the ninja cried out to stop him, getting all of tem to swarm the blonde. "Remember that for me, Kaka-sensei! Hado no Roku-" He brought his fist up and began to bend down as the ninja were almost on top of him, Soi Fon looking especially desperate to kill him. "-Ridatsu (Way of Destruction Number Six: Break Away)!" Bringing his fist down, he punched the gate where he was standing, shattering it instantly and sending a hail shrapnel glowing with energy from the attack in all directions, injuring all of the ninja to some degree. Naruto then flattened out his fist and pressed his palm into the small crater he just made. Now having some time to spare, he began to pray. "_Goddess of the blinding sky, sightless sky, forever out of reach. Thou shall never be disturbed by the likes of man. Show me lasting times, fires in wind, light in air, burn forever. _Bakudo no Go: Enten (Way of Binding Number Five: Scorching Sun)!"

A light originated from seemingly nowhere, accompanied by a light humming sound. While the light was not very bright, with the ninjas' eyes being used to the dark night it nearly made them go blind. When the ninja's eyes finally adjusted enough, and after backing away slightly, they could make out a ball of light, about three feet in diameter and for all intents and purposes looking like a second sun in the night, floating right where Naruto had been before. The bright sphere began to shrink after a few seconds and soon became the size of a marble before disappearing completely.

No Naruto anywhere in sight.

* * *

Naruto silently moved into his apartment, absently noticing the unconscious ANBU on the doorway, probably in his current condition because of Tessai. "I don't think we were followed." He whispered to Yoruichi, who he now held bridal style. At some point, the Shihoin heiress guided him to where she left his 'borrowed' clothes, so he had dropped his Henge and was now garbed in dark green civilian loose fitting with his chest still bare. His now pale-blonde hair and gray eyes now shone. His elevated sandals that he still wore clicked lightly on the wooden floor. "They probably all thought I went out the west gate instead of coming all the way to the other side of the village."

"Can you put me down now, Naruto-kun?" Yoruichi asked, no longer panting. "I think I can stand now." The reason Naruto was still not wearing a shirt was because he let Yoruichi wear it. The shirt was the same color as his pants and had a low cut V-neck. It was too big for the heiress's slender form and the V-neck kept it a little too… revealing for the girl. As such, she kept her arms wrapped around her torso, keeping the clothing in place.

Naruto did as asked and placed her on her feet. She stumbled slightly but did not fall. "You okay?

"I think so." Yoruichi leaned against a nearby wall. "What do we do now?"

"I gather everything and we'll leave soon enough." The pale-blonde said, already making several clones to assist him. "Are you sure you-"

"I'm coming." The girl interrupted him. "Stop trying to convince me otherwise."

Naruto sighed. "Fine." He then spotted the shirt he left here before he was arrested. Without a second thought, he took the orange shirt and tossed it to Yoruichi, who managed to catch it. "Put that on, it's a newer model that was straps on the shoulders to tighten it. It should work better than what you have on." Naruto then began to help his clones in gathering the needed supplies and whatever else he could seal away, the Gigai included. _"Oi, Benihime, you there?"_ He tried to contact his sword.

::Yeah, why the hell wouldn't I be? Where the hell are _you_?::

"_About to leave."_ He thought sadly. _"Still can't believe it has come to this."_

::Hey! No mopping, dumbass!:: She snapped back. ::You got no other choice. And if that ass Aizen planned ahead as far as he seemed to have then there wasn't much hope in getting out of it in the first place.::

"_Not very comforting."_

::Well _excuse me_ in not being good at that kind of thing.::

Before Naruto could retort, a ball of cloth hit the back of his head. "Put that on, will you." He heard Yoruichi. "I'm starting to think that you're trying to show off to me."

Naruto took the cloth of his head and found it to be the green shirt Yoruichi got for him in the first place. "I didn't hear you complaining before now."

"Shut it! I was just tired and you were busy running." She shouted but the noticeable blush on her cheeks contradicted her statement.

"Sure, sure." The pale-blonde waved her off, putting on the shirt, the color matching that of his new pants. "Oh almost forgot." He touched a Storage Seal on his forearm, getting a small puff of smoke. It quickly cleared to show his white and green bucket hat, which he placed on his head, hiding his spiky hair from view. He caught a glance of himself in a nearby mirror and sighed. _"I look nothing like I did a week ago. But I guess in this situation that's a good thing."_

::I said no mopping!::

"_Oh be quiet. Can you lead me to Tessai or not?"_

::Oh course I can. What do you take me for, dumbass?::

"Ready to go, Yoruichi-chan?" Naruto asked the girl who was waiting patiently.

::Oi! How many times do I have to tell you not to ignore me ya' little fucker!::

"Yep." Yoruichi replied.

"Good, let's go then."

::Stop ignoring me dammit!::

* * *

"Yes! *pant**pant**pant* I *pant* did it!" Naruto panted as he barely kept himself from falling by leaning on the cane that was the, currently cursing at him, Benihime. He stood in a forest clearing many miles east of Konoha and even a good distance from Otafuku Gai. Tessai was standing some distance away, now garbed in long olive-green pants and a white short-sleeved shirt, effetely making him look like a civilian. Yoruichi was now beside him, draping one of his arms over her shoulders to keep him from falling. The purple-haired girl was wearing the orange shirt she was given, the white straps over the shoulders holding it snug against her body and contrasting with the dark blue pants and beige arm-warmer and scarf. "Thanks." He said to her, getting a nod in return. In front of the panting teen were the nine bodies of the foreigners, each not having a single remnant of the white substance on them and were breathing peacefully, their hearts working once more. "I *pant* can't believe *pant* that *pant* worked."

"I can." Yoruichi chirped, giving him a smile. "You're a genius, Naruto-kun."

"You're the *pant* *pant* person to ever *pant* say that to me." Naruto replied, not trying to stand up, mainly because he knew he was too tired to manage even that and two because he like the warmth the Shihoin heiress was giving off as she supported him. He just tried, and succeeded, to use the Soul Separation on the nine persons. Each of the weapons he sealed part of their souls into each turned into unique swords oddly enough.

"What do we do now?" Tessai spoke up, moving closer to the two conscious people.

"We have to *pant* find a place to hide." Naruto said, his breathing seeming to be returning to normal. "It *pant* can't be a ninja village or anywhere close to one or else they might recognize one of you… I know just the place." He finished after a moment to think.

"That was quick. Where?" Yoruichi asked, only slightly surprised as she had seen how quickly the slightly older teen could think of something before.

"Nami no Kuni (Wave Country)." He said with a smile. "It's out of the way *pant* and is just getting over a depressions so they won't be hiring ninja's for help for at least a couple months. That's more than enough time for things to *pant* cool down."

"That's going to be harder than you think, Naruto-san." Tessai said with a frown. "We can't just walk in and say we're going to stay."

"Of course we can." Naruto said, getting confused looks from the two. "All we have to do is say we're opening a shop in a new town. They won't think twice about it cause they need any and all ways to help their recovering economy." He then took on a far away look. "Maybe a candy shop."

::Why are you say the most fucking random things every chance you can?::

"Anyway, as long as we keep a low profile we should be fine. After some time we can try and contact this group that Itachi and Isaribi work for."

::Don't ignore me, dumbass!::

Naruto then let out a sigh. "You two will probably have to come up with some new look just incase though."

::Listen to me dammit!::

"What about you?" Yoruichi asked, slightly annoyed. "Why don't you have to change how you look?" Her annoyance vanished when she saw the hurt look on the teen's face.

"I already look different than how everyone back home remembers me. Enough so that no one would recognize me, no matter how hard they looked." Seeing she was about to ask, Naruto cut the heiress off. "I'll explain later."

An awkward silence passed, broken by Tessai a minute later. "If you looks so different then you should probably use a different name, just in case."

Naruto grimaced, one of the reasons he stood against Aizen was to avenge the Uzumaki clan, but now he's abandoning the name he inherited from them. A moment later he smiled sadly and looked to see the sun beginning to rise, showing they stayed up the entire night, holding his hat to his head with the hand not currently occupied by Benihime as a light breeze blew past. "I got it. Ironic though, isn't it?" Neither of the other two answered the rhetorical question. "It's October Eleventh, the day after my birthday. And today is the beginning a life that will be completely different from the one I've lived up till now."

"Are you going to tell us the name?" Yoruichi asked after a minute of silence, The pale-blonde just watching the rising sun.

He chuckled, though it held very little emotion. "I'm surprised you haven't guess it, Yoruichi-chan, you did create it." Seeing the utterly confused look on the heiress's face, he chuckled again. "From this moment on, I will no longer be Uzumaki Naruto, Genin of Konohagakure no Sato. I am now Urahara Kisuke, shop owner of Nami no Kuni and resident seal master."


	7. Troubling People

**AN: **Sorry. I know say, er, writing it won't make everything better but I really am. I have no intention of dropping this story, it's just going a bit slow, so have no fears... at least not about me or this story.

HOORAY 100 REVIEWS.  
For me, that is an accomplishment, though compared to some storied I read it's kinda sad by comparison... then for others it's insanely better, so I'm very confused as to where I stand in successful fan fiction... but I'm still happy!

Most of you (maybe) are thinking that the story will finally kickstart with action or drama every other line break... and you are wrong, but this chapter is the last preparation chapter, I promise. Next chapter all the action will start. Forewarning if you haven't already guessed, I am completely skipping the Chunin Exam Arc and giving a toned-down version of the Search for Tsunade Arc. I will be skipping right to one of my more favorite events, which you should be able to guess which one at the very end.

I've read many, many, many, many Naruto/Bleach crossovers and every time it seems a Naruto character will get a Zanpakuto that is a carbon-copy of their ninja powers. This is exactly what I will **NOT** be doing, as it seems kind of redundant for this story. Further more, I _could _have come up with some amazingly awesome and original Zanpakuto for every Naruto character I want to give one (maybe), but I won't be doing that either, mainly because I feel it dulls the story. So instead, Every Zanpakuto (that I've thought of so far) will be from some other kind of media, you'll see what I mean when I get to that point. Some will be insanely obvious, others you might have to think about, and some you could just Google them to find what they're from.

Lastly, this chapter was rushed a little and not read over again, as I wanted to get it out today for all of you, so there might be more mistakes than usual... I might go back over it and repost the checked version if I ever get around to it.

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**Troubling People**

"Can you repeat that for me, Hokage-sama? I think I might be going insane." Said one Inuzuka Kiba, a young teenager with messy brown hair and red marks on either cheek, showing he was of the dog-partnered clan. He was currently wearing civilian clothes as this was supposed to be his day off. On his head was a white puppy, whose tail was hanging, showing it was either troubled by something or asleep. He was part of Team Eight; a Genin Squad led by Yuuhi Kurenai.

"It would seem illogical for him to do as such." Kiba's teammate, Aburame Shino said. Much like his teammate, Shino was from a clan as well, the bug-using Aburame to be exact. Most of his body was hidden behind a gray coat that went from his thighs to just below his nose. A Konoha headband held his uncombed brown hair back and a pair of darkened spectacles covered his eyes. His attire was the same he wore on missions so it was hard to tell if he actually had civilian clothes.

"Troublesome blonde." Nara Shikamaru sighed out. He was a boy with black hair held in a pineapple-like form. Despite his words, his normally uninterested eyes twitched, showing he was forcing his brain to work more than usual. He was part of Team Ten, lead by Sarutobi Asuma.

"Why would the dobe leave?" One Uchiha Sasuke asked. His hair was in a similar in a similar manner to Shikamaru, but left some of it hang loose to frame his face. His charcoal black eyes showed a mixture of shock and confusion, though it was well hidden. He was a part of Team Seven, lead by Hatake Kakashi.

Hiruzen frowned as he looked at the four boys. "As of last night, Uzumaki Naruto is now a B-Rank Missing-nin, wanted in two countries, Konoha and Kumo, but that number will increase soon enough."

"Isn't B-Rank a little high to give a Genin for running off?" Kiba asked, the dog on his head whining in agreement. When the Hokage closed his eyes and did not answer, the Inuzuka grew nervous. "He did just run away, right?"

The oldest of the people currently in the room sighed heavily, seeming even older than he was. "As of now he is under the charges of murder, inhumane experiments, kidnapping, and association with a S-Rank Nuke-nin. One of my ANBU even found evidence this morning that he broke into the house of the deceased Yondaime Hokage and took something, we just don't know what."

"Who was it that Uzumaki kidnapped?" Shino asked in the same monotone voice.

"Screw that!" Kiba shouted at his teammate before an answer. "Who the hell did he kill?"

"You shouldn't talk so loud in front of the Hokage, troublesome dog." Shikamaru said, but mumbled at the end.

"What was that?" The Inuzuka shouted back, growling in unison with the puppy on his head at the lazy Nara. He would have continued if Shikamaru did not send a glare at him, something Kiba never saw his friend's do before.

"I'm trying to get the full picture, Kiba." Shikamaru said in a voice that betrayed his anger. "If there's one person out there that wouldn't kill someone without a reason, its Naruto, and I intend to prove it." He turned back to the Hokage. "Please continue, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen nodded at the much younger boy. "A case is being investigated by the Fire Daimyo. People all around Hi no Kuni have been disappearing recently, only their clothes have been left behind."

"It seems to be illogical to believe that it was Uzumaki." Shino spoke up again, idly moving his glasses back into place. "Why? He rarely leaves the village and would be unable to kidnap people all over a country."

Hiruzen let out another sigh, taking out his pipe and lighting it. "This is just a speculation, Shino-kun, it is not actually one of Naruto's crimes. Besides, I thought the same thing at first."

"Then why are you mentioning it?" Sasuke asked.

"The disappearances started about two month ago." The Hokage said, taking a long puff of his pipe. "Judging by your confused faces you don't know what he did at that time."

"We all graduated." Kiba stated the obvious, missing Sasuke's eyes widening.

"And Naruto learned the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)." The last Uchiha loyal to Konoha said.

Hiruzen nodded, explaining for the others in the room. "Kage Bunshin is a B-Rank cloning-technique. Unlike other clones, it had no limit to how far away it can go from the original and, should he make enough at once, they will have enough Chakra that a passing ANBU would assume it was a civilian." With another sigh, Hiruzen continued. "Again, the kidnappings are just a suspected to be done by Naruto, so he will not be punished for it. Then there is the kidnapping we _know_ he did." He took another puff of his pipe. "At approximately midnight last night, he was seen and heard by dozens of witnesses, ANBU and Hatake Kakashi included," Sasuke stiffened slightly at his Sensei's name. "-Naruto fled from ANBU carrying a most likely drugged Shihoin Yoruichi."

"Who?" Kiba blurted out, never being one for tack.

"The last of the Shihoin Clan of Kumogakure no Sato. She has an immense amount of power over the hidden village and all of Kaminari no Kuni and has more money in her name than that once held by Gato Industries. Recently she was escorted here for short negotiations on behalf of Kumo."

"Wait, you mean that purple-haired chick that was here a few days ago?" Kiba asked, when the Hokage nodded, he shivered slightly. "She was creepy."

"Why do you say that?" Shikamaru asked.

"That chick had less emotion than Shino here." The Inuzuka said, pointing a thumb at said bespectacled boy, who did not seem offended in the slightest. "Not to mention that crazy guard of hers wouldn't let me even close to her."

"Assuming that you are talking about Soi Fon-san, I should tell you to refrain from doing so, Kiba-kun." The Hokage said. "She is, after all, right outside my door." Kiba turned a fearful look to said door, as if he expected it to break open and the girl to kill him before he could react. "You can come in now."

The large oak door swung outward and the petite girl walked in, sending a glare in Kiba's direction before stopping before the Hokage and bowing. "You wished to see me, Hokage-dono." She stated after rising from her bow.

"Yes, I asked the rest of you here because you knew Naruto better than anyone else in the class." Hiruzen said, leaning onto his desk and hiding his hands behind his folded hands. "We have no idea where Naruto is hiding, as he had slipped away from our trackers despite having at least two accomplices. One of them being an unranked Kumo-nin known as Tsukabishi Tessai, the other we have a guess but is unconfirmed."

"How can someone be unranked?" Sasuke asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"The bastard was never part of a team." Soi Fon growled out, gritting her teeth, surprising the Genin in the room. "Tessai became a guard for Yoruichi-sama years ago, much like myself. He knew Yoruichi-sama longer than I did and he still helped that blonde _fiend_ in taking her."

"You knew Naruto?" Shikamaru asked, his eyes narrowed at hearing the insult of his friend, if he could still call the blonde that.

"No, I never met him before in my life before last night." The Kumo-nin in the room said, shaking her head.

"How are you certain they were working together?" Shino asked.

"Besides that they both fled from the courtroom-"

"Courtroom?" Everyone in the room interrupted him, even Soi Fon.

"It is unimportant." Hiruzen said, giving them an annoyed gaze. "Besides that, they were both seen by a reliable source talking to who we assume is their other accomplice and transporting a group of murdered individuals to Konoha with a forbidden technique."

"Who's the one they were talking to?" This time it was Kiba who asked.

Hiruzen sighed and turned in his chair away from the group in favor of looking out the large window, taking another drag of his pipe. "Uchiha Itachi." Sasuke's fists tightened and his Sharingan activated. "The Ex-ANBU Captain and S-Ranked Nuke-nin, wanted for the slaughtering of the entire Uchiha Clan, sans one that is."

Three of the Konoha-nin eyed Sasuke, who was now gritting his teeth. "What was the Dobe doing talking to _him_… my brother?" Kiba and Soi Fon's eyes widened, Shino had no visible reaction, and Shikamaru looked like he already knew that, but with his thinking skills he probably figured it out a long time ago.

Hiruzen shook his head slowly. "We don't know." There was a full minute of silence as all of the information sunk in. "You are all dismissed. If you think of something, anything that might help find Naruto, let me know. Soi Fon-san, could you stay a little longer."

"Why didn't you call Sakura here?" Shikamaru asked one final question. "She is… _was_ on his team."

"I doubted that she would be able to think logically enough to be of assistance, given the situation. No matter, the news will spread quickly throughout the village." Hiruzen said, still not turning to face them. No one able to think of anything else to say, the Konoha-nin began to leave, only for the door to fly open and a small boy ran in, he was clad in a yellow shirt and shorts, a pair of blue goggles on his head held his brown hair back, and a long blue scarf was wrapped around his neck. He was panting, showing he had run all the way here.

"Tell me it's not true, Jiji-san!" He shouted at the Hokage, who still did not turn to face him. "Oyabun (Boss) didn't kill anyone, right?" He panted out. When the aged Hokage did not answer, the boy quickly looked around the room and pulled on the shirt of the closest person, who happened to be Sasuke. "Naruto isn't a criminal… right?" The Uchiha said nothing, quickly looking away. He of all people knew what it was like when the person you looked up to turned out to be someone… _different_. Tears began to well up in the boy's eyes and he quickly let go of Sasuke's shirt and ran out the room, passing by two other small children, both with goggle around their forehead.

"Konohamaru-kun." The girl of the two, her bright orange hair up in two pigtails and a blush on her face, said. She and the bespectacled, sick-looking boy next to her shared a look before chasing after their friend.

"So it's already spreading." Hiruzen muttered, still not turning away from the window.

"Hokage-sama?" Shino asked, seeming to be conflicted.

"You are dismissed." The aged leader repeated, a little more forcefully. The Konoha-nin left, closing the large door behind them, leaving Soi Fon with their leader. "Is if okay if I make an assumption, Soi Fon-san?" Hiruzen asked after a long silence.

"Sir?" The Kumo-nin asked, unsure of what he meant.

"Is it okay if I make an assumption of what you are thinking right now?" He clarified. Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "I'm guess that you think I am a cold-hearted leader who just marked another one of his Shinobi as a traitor, correct?" He got no answer, not that he was expecting one. "If that is what you're thinking then I must say you're wrong." With his elbows propped up on the chair's armrests, Hiruzen's hands still covered his mouth and the hat that marked him as Hokage shadowed his eyes, the man's face was entirely hidden as he continued to look out the window. "Naruto was like a grandson to me, Soi Fon-san, and as soon as even the smallest amount of evidence could be found proving him innocent I would gladly order him free."

"Why did you ask me to stay, Hokage-dono?" Soi Fon, feeling uncomfortable at hearing what sounded like a great secret.

"Do you know why I named a successor the first time?" Hiruzen asked, ignoring her now question.

"No sir."

"It was because my student, Orochimaru, was found guilty of kidnapping, inhumane experiments, murder, and the giving of village secrets." Soi Fon's eyes widened at the familiar sounding accusations. "When I found him, just as he finished dissecting a corpse, I was unable to stop him from leaving. Not because he was stronger than me, mind you, I simply could not life a hand against someone I viewed as a family, as a son… So I let him leave." Though he was still facing away from Soi Fon, she could see the older man take the wide-rimmed hat off his head and look at it. "I gave this hat to Namikaze Minato, my successor. When he died and I was given it back, I swore on my past mistakes that I would not let anyone else get away for committing any crime under my watch." His grip on the hat tightened and wrinkled the fabric, but the Kumo-nin could not see his other hand go to his face and cover his eyes. "I had no idea how hard it would actually be when I made that promise." He clenched his teeth together, hoping the physical pain would suppress its emotional counterpart. "I _want_ him to be innocent. I _want_ him to be here in my office again, laughing with that stupid grin on his face and covered in paint after he accomplished another one of his blasted pranks."

Once more silence took over, and Soi Fon shifted where she stood, feeling even more uncomfortable. "Sir-"

"Give a message to the Raikage." Hiruzen cut her off, still not facing her. "I will send a message to the other hidden villages and inform my own people, but you are the first to hear this. I'm trusting you to tell your leader."

"Of course sir."

Hiruzen stood up, still looking out the window with his hands at his sides, the Hokage hat held in one of them. "I, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage, am hereby retiring from my position of Hokage for the second, and final time."

Soi Fon went wide-eyed. "S-Sir?"

"Go, return to your country."

"Hai, H-Hokage-dono."

"Not Hokage… Just Hiruzen."

"H-Hai."

With that, the Kumo-nin disappeared, leaving the now former leader alone, staring out the large window. He chuckled lightly, though it was a hollow laugh as he felt no joy at all. "I wasn't even able to face them." He said to himself. "I could not let them see me like this while I was still their leader, it would be wrong."

He tightened his grip on his hat, no, it was not his hat anymore.

"Where did I go wrong, Orochimaru, Itachi… Naruto?"

Tears fell freely from the man's eyes as he stood there.

"Never again will I have to make that choice… Never again will I be Hokage."

* * *

Muguruma Kensei groaned as he regained consciousness. "Dammit Mashiro what did you have me eat?" He opened his eyes and, though his vision was blurry, he could at least tell he was outside, judging by the clouds and loose soil under him. Sitting up and waiting for the walls to stop spinning, the silver haired man rubbed his eyes and looked around again. "Where the hell am I?" Looking down at himself and seeing he had no shirt on, he grew more confused. "Well I'm not naked, so that's good… kinda." His hearing then cleared up but he could still hear a slight ringing. "What's with the ringing, I got a concussion or something?"

"First one to awake is one who went furthest into Hollowfication. Eye sight and hearing are dulled though that may be because of the duration of him being unconscious." Someone said, followed by the sounds of pencil scribbling furiously on paper. Kensei then felt someone press two fingers against his neck.

"What the hell you doing?" He questioned and tried to move away, but his movements were slow, like he was drugged or something. The arm he moved to stop whoever was there was easily grabbed and lifted over his head, the two fingers never leaving his neck.

"Heart rate is still stable. Reflexes and movement are slowed." The person spoke again, this time much closer, showing it was the one checking his pulse. It was once more followed by the sounds of scribbling. Kensei then felt the arm holding his writs move to his bicep. "Muscles are no longer stiff." The hand then, of all things, opened his mouth. "No traces of Hollow substance seen in throat."

"Get offa' me!" Kensei yelled and tried to punch the person, but his movements were still slow and the person caught his fist once more, only to let it go and have the silver-haired Oni no Kuni native fall onto his back onto the ground with nothing else holding him up.

There was then another groan heard that did not come from Kensei. "Second to awaken is one who has had most contact with Hollows prior." The voice said and Kensei could hear the clacking of sandals as the person walked away.

"Who are you?" A feminine voice groaned out.

"She seems to regain her sight faster but muscles are still stiff." The voice said, ignoring the question, the scribbling once more being heard. "Condition is the same as previous but her eyes are more dilated." A series of groans could be heard, obviously coming from multiple people. Kensei could just make out a person dressed in green holding what looked like a stopwatch. The person looked around and clicked the device, stopping it. "Final time for last to awaken; seven days, twelve hours, forty-six minutes, twenty seconds."

There was then the sound of something wheeling towards them and another obviously female voice called out. "Kisuke, I got the clothes."

"Thank you, Yoruichi-san." The green-clad person called back. "Great timing, they all just woke up."

"Really? About damn time."

As Kensei was sitting up again he saw the green person walk by him. He then saw various other people, eight if he counted right, also in the room, seeming to be in a similar condition to him.

"Hello everybody." The green-clad person said, getting the nine people to turn to him. He was a teen, slightly on the short side. He had pale blond hair coming out from under a green and white stripped bucket hat that shadowed the top part of his face, but his gray eyes could still be seen. He wore baggy dark green pants and shirt, on his feet were wooden sandals that raised him off the ground by an inch or so. He was leaning on a normal wooden cane. He had a small smile on his face and his head was cocked slightly to the side. "It's good to see you all return to the world of the living."

"Don't say it like that!" The voice from before said. It turned out to be a girl, teenager at the most, with chocolate colored skin and exotic purple hair that reached her chin. She wore a bright orange shirt with white straps over the shoulders and skin tight dark blue pants, possibly made of leather or spandex. Her feet were held in slip-on shoes with a slight heel to them. Her forearms and lower legs were wrapped in beige cloth and tied with purple string. She had just hit the pale-blonde teen over the head as her golden eyes held anger. "You make it sound like they died!"

"Sorry, sorry, Yoruichi-san." The male of the two said, getting a sad frown from the now known Yoruichi, she apparently did not like something he said for some reason.

"… Just don't do it again." The purple-haired girl said, sounding depressed all of a sudden.

"I believe you were going to explain things, Urahara-san." The third person in the small group said. He was an older teen and quite muscular. He had tan skin and rectangular glasses that were reflecting a nonexistent light and hiding his eyes. Her wore a plain white shirt and olive green pants. He wore slippers colored a brick red and a blue apron. A notepad and pencil were seen in his hands, showing he was the one writing.

"Hai, hai, don't worry, I was getting to that." Urahara answered, his peppy attitude not fading in the slightest to being hit.

By now all nine of the people who were previously unconscious were now fully awake and sitting on the dirty ground, looking at the three people. They appeared to outside, but it felt _wrong_, possibly because no wind blew or the air did not feel fresh like it should.

"Greetings everyone, my name is Urahara Kisuke." The pale-blonde teen said in an almost childlike voice, his small smile never fading. "To my right is Shihoin Yoruichi and to my left is-"

"Tessai!" One of the nine people, a rather short girl with her blonde hair held up in pigtails yelled. She stood abruptly and pointed an accusing finger at said bespectacled man. "What the hell are you doing here, aren't you supposed to still be in Kumo?"

"Be quite, Hiyori." Another blonde said. The now known Hiyori turned to yell at him as he turned back to the three people, more specifically the female of them. "Yoruichi-sama." He greeted the purple-haired girl, giving a light nod instead of a bow as he was still sitting. Just then a foot impacted with his face and sent him skidding a few feet back, miraculously not hitting anyone else. On instinct he sits up, clutching his probably broken nose, and yells at his fellow blonde. "Hiyori! What was that-" He cut off when he saw Yoruichi standing where he previously occupied, her foot still extended from the kick. Hiyori blinked in confusion, partly because of what Yoruichi just did, and partly because she herself was about to do that.

"Drop the formal tone, Shinji." The Shihoin girl stated with a sense of finality as she turned and walked back to the still smiling Kisuke.

"Continuing where I left off," Kisuke said, not seeming to care about what just transpired. "-to my left is Tsukabishi Tessai. Both of them were once members of Kumogakure no Sato. Now if all of you would be so kind to introduce yourselves and where you came from, we can move right along." He then gestured with his free hand for them to do so.

The nine individuals were hesitant, that much was obvious. They looked around at the other people, a tense silence present. Finally it was a large slightly tanned, pink-haired man with a matching mustache who stood up and bowed, ignoring the quiet warning from an afro-headed man next to him. "My name is Ushoda Hachigen, former Jonin of Kirigakure no Sato, currently under the orders of Terumi Mei in the rebel faction of the ongoing civil war. If it is easier to remember, you may just call me Hachi." He then sat down and gave a meaningful gaze to the man next to him.

Grumbling, the man stood up. He was also tanned and had a large brown afro atop his head. His eyes were covered in cracked sunglasses. He did not bow, just looked around nervously at the other people. "… Aikawa Love, former Tokubetsu Jonin of Kiri, I'm a rebel like the big guy here." He nodded towards Hachi before sitting once more.

Before another tense silence could pass, someone else quickly jumped to her feet. It was a girl with neon green hair and a child-like complexion. "Kuna Mashiro, personal guard for lady Shion of Oni no Kuni!" She said in a peppy voice, sitting back quickly.

A moment later, the next person stood up. It was a man with flowing blonde hair and a slightly feminine appearance. "Otoribashi Rose, A-Rank Missing-nin of Iwagakure no Sato." As he sat back down, Hiyori, who was sitting next to him, slowly moved away at hearing he was a Missing-nin.

Next to stand was another woman, her shoulder length black hair held in a braid and somewhat large slightly cracked glasses rested on her nose. "Yadomaru Lisa, personal guard of Fujikaze Yukie."

"The actress who plays Princess Gale?" Kisuke, of all people, asked in surprise. "I love her movies."

"Many do." Lisa replied as she sat back down, not seeming to care, actually removing the smile from Kisuke's face.

Another silence passed, this one more awkward then tense, only to be stopped when Shinji stood up. "I'm Hirako Shinji, Jonin of Kumogakure no Sato." As he sat back down, the remaining two females stood up at the same time, though with a glare from Hiyori, the other sat back down.

"Sarugaki Hiyori, Chunin of Kumo." Sitting back down, the final girl of the group stood.

"Kurotsuchi Isaribi, Gobantai Fukutaicho (Fifth Division Lieutenant) of the Gotei (Imperial Guards)." She said with a deep bow. Everyone else there looked at her strangely, making her extremely uncomfortable as she sat back down.

With a sigh, the last person stood up, drawing everyone's attention to him. He was a buff man with a mop of silver hair and a rather annoyed facial feature. "Muguruma Kensei, personal guard of Shion, born and raised in Oni no Kuni."

As the muscular man sat back down, Kisuke's smile returned and he seemed more relaxed, if only slightly. "Now that that's out of the way, I would now like to inform you all that you are all in an underground training facility I made. The exit it right behind me." It was then that the nine confused individuals took notice of the very long latter that went from the ground to the cloud line… right where it disappeared into a hole in the sky. How did none of them see that? "But despite that, none of you will be allowed to leave this room until I say so. So, are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say as all nine of them narrowed his or her eyes at him, slowly shifting into a fighting stance while remaining seated. Hiyori on the other hand growled loudly and stood up once more. "The hell you can keep us here! What makes you think you can even do that?"

"Hiyori." Shinji tried to warn his comrade, but to no avail.

"Shut it, Shinji-baka! I'm gonna' wipe that dumb smile off his face!" She yelled and cracked her knuckles, trying to burn a hole in the pale-blonde's head.

"Looks like your choosing the hard way then." Kisuke sighed, but his smile not fading in the least. "If you are going to do so, you should refrain from using anything besides Chakra, Sarugaki."

"What the hell else do you think I would use, baka?" She yelled and charged at the annoying little man, unknowingly doing the exact opposite of what her target had said. Kisuke just sighed once more and gave her a sad look, having sensed the use of Reiatsu. Hiyori felt like she had more energy than ever before. Unseen to her, her eyes were turning yellow and the sclera was bleeding into black.

Kisuke on the other hand, did see this. "That's not good." He said, his smile fading slightly, the two on either side of him tensing, ready to fight. "Bakudo no Yon: Hainawa (Way of Binding Number Four: Crawling Rope)!" Whipping his hand forward, a band of yellow energy shot forward like a whip and wrapped around the angered girl, binding her arms and pulling her to the ground roughly. "I would suggest against what you are intending to do, Hirako." Kisuke said, diverting his attention to the other blonde who was undoubtedly about to charge as well, but he seemed to have lost something. Glancing he saw most of the other people were ready to engage in a fight as well. "You all really should have let me finish my explaining."

"You just said we were prisoners here, and you have a reason for doing it?" Love said, also seeming to be looking for something.

"Actually yes."

Kensei scoffed, not believing it. "Fine then, what's your reason?"

Before the pale-blonde could respond, Hiyori did it for him. "D**on't** **ignore** **m**e, yo**u** **bak**a!" She shouted from her spot on the ground, her voice warping. She shakily stood up, glaring at Kisuke as the air seemed to condense around her head, forming floating white particles.

"That." Kisuke finally answered, looking paler than before, his smile gone.

With little seen effort, Hiyori broke the restraints, letting out a demonic roar as the particles now covered part of the right side of her face. "I'll k**ill you!**" She seemed like she was about to charge again, only for a kick from Yoruichi to send her skidding away. The blonde girl quickly jumped to her feet, the left side of her jaw line covered by a white mask segment with more of the white particles floating around her building onto it. She let out an inhuman roar and jumped at Yoruichi, only to hit what looked like a pane of glass.

"Thanks, Tessai." The Shihoin heiress said to the older teen with a nod. Tessai returned the nod, but kept his attention on the female Kumo-nin, who now found herself trapped inside of a transparent box.

"Now, as I was saying." Kisuke said, drawing his small audiences away from the monster-like girl. "The reason you can't leave is because if any of you get worked up in the slightest, that happens to you." He gestured to the struggling girl. The pale-blonde frowned, a rare thing for him to do, and he gave the people a look that a doctor would have when giving a prognosis of death to a patient. "You are all the failed experiments of a man by the name Aizen Sosuke. I found you all on the verge of going insane and becoming something I know at least one of you are familiar with." He sent a glance to Isaribi, confusing her until she heard his next words. "You were all about to become Hollows." Kisuke heard the girl gasp as he looked up the artificial sky, the fake clouds moving slowly, Kami he loved seals. _"And that was the easy part."_ He thought bitterly. _"Now I have to talk to them without getting killed."_

* * *

Aizen Sosuke stood on a balcony overlooking the city of Okibi Gai (Blazing Fire Victory Song), the capital of Hi no Kuni. The balcony was one of many on the palace of the Fire Daimyo, this one in particular facing west, where the sun sets. The palace was built in an almost poetic way with the balconies only facing east and west with the main entrance facing south so it is always in the sunlight. On top of the large building was a type of crystal that was placed so when the sun is directly above, at noon, it will reflect the light and make the entire city look like it is on fire, going along with its name.

Being one of the personal guards for the Daimyo, Aizen could easily move about the palace as he pleased and do whatever he wanted, no one being the wiser. The bespectacled man glanced upwards when a hawk landed on the railing of the balcony; a tube tied to its back signifying it was a messenger hawk. Though confused, the man took the contents of the tube, a scroll, out and sent the hawk on its way. It was soon obvious that Tosen Kaname, his spy inside Konoha, sent it. Aizen's infamous smile returned by the time he finished the letter, which was quickly burned out of existence with a seal less Katon (Fire Release).

The man let out a, seemingly, innocent laugh. _"So Kaname even pinned the robbery of the Yondaime Estate on the Kyuubi vessel."_ His smile faltered, if only slightly. _"While it is not that surprising that the boy managed to escape the ANBU, it is a little unsettling on _how_ he did it… An energy that isn't Chakra, Jutsu of completely unknown origin, and suddenly having much more Chakra than what they knew of. The last one, and even the second to an extent, can be explained by him holding back and not showing the village his true power, but the first one… The only possibility is that he can use Reiatsu, but that can't be possible… unless."_ It was at that moment when the clocks around the city hit noon and the large crystal atop the palace was hit with sunlight at the perfect angle, setting the whole city ablaze with a brilliant orange light. Aizen's eyes widened before he burst into laughter, the irony of it all too much for him to take silently. _"The boy, the Uzumaki, he has the Scroll of Mito. He somehow got the very thing I have been searching for so long for and perfected the Soul Separating Seal… That sword, that held part of his soul, how else could he have been a match for Itachi. This is just too rich, my life's target, that thrice damned scroll, was right in front of me in the hands of a… pathetic child… and I didn't even know it."_ Getting his laughter under control, Aizen turned and walked into the palace, his smile larger that it was minutes earlier. _"Uzumaki Naruto, the last of _that_ clan's accursed blood will mark the ground where you die, and where the key to my dream will finally be in my hands."_ With one more chuckle, he disappeared into the shadows of the hall, noon having passed and the light reflected off the crystal disappearing. _"I wonder how Madara will react to all of this."_

* * *

"So this sword is what again?" Shinji asked, eyeing the blade on the table before him.

"A Zanpakuto (Soul Cutting Sword)." Kisuke answered his fellow blonde with a smile, quite proud of himself that he came up with the name in just under five seconds. "It is made through a complex form of Fuinjutsu, something I had done on a whim and it happened to save your humanity."

Shinji continued to stare at the blade, then at the other eight 'guinea pigs' around the table, each eyeing the blade designated as their own. Hiyori had recovered from her episode, as they now called it, and was looking at her own 'Zanpakuto', a standard katana with a circular guard, decorated with hearts of all things, red cloth wrapped around the grip and inside a black scabbard.

Shinji's own was also a katana, though slightly longer than Hiyori's; the scabbard was black, pinkish-red cloth around the grip and an hourglass-shaped guard.

"And what is it supposed to do?" Love asked, having removed his broken sunglasses showing dark-brown eyes.

"Well, if any of you would pick it up you'd find out!" Yoruichi snapped from her place to Kisuke's right, her annoyance increasing as they had been standing there for almost ten minutes. All nine of the people had simply looked at the swords on the table, asking a question every so often, and it was getting way too annoying.

Taking a deep breath, Shinji lifted up a single hand, as if he was about to pick up the sword. All eyes were on him instantly.

"Finally!" Yoruichi cried out, throwing her hands into the air.

"Urahara-san." Shinji said, his hand inches from the blade. "I'm telling you now but even if you did save my life, I don't intend to tell you anything I don't feel you need to know, whether it's about my village or otherwise."

"I never asked you to." Kisuke replied, his ever-present smile not fading in the slightest.

"I just can't in all good conscious let you leave while you still have horrible control over you new condition. And I can't have you telling everyone you know about these swords and their power."

Nodding in acceptance, Shinji slowly lowered his hand to the sword handle, the others around the table backing away slightly, as if expecting it to explode or something. With a slight tremble, the blonde swallowed hard and snatched the blade off the table, closing his eyes to brace himself for Kami knew what.

"… Nothing." Shinji said after a moment of tense silence, opening his eyes again and examining the sword.

Kisuke blinked and scratched the back of his head in confusion, frowning slightly. "I just picked mine up for it to work with me… no wait, I also threw it."

Shinji raised an eyebrow at his fellow blonde's words. "So I should throw this thing?"

::NO DON'T THROW ME!::

The others in the large underground room looked on in confusion as Shinji whipped his head around, as if looking for something. "What the hell are you looking for, dickhead?" Hiyori asked, looking at her former commander like he was an idiot.

"None of you heard that?" He asked in surprised, looking at the confused faces of the eight others, the annoyed face of Yoruichi, and the smiling face of Kisuke.

"You're the only one who can hear it, Shinji-san." The cane-holding man said. "I won't go into details but the seals gave the sword its own conscious, and only you can hear it."

"So I now have a voice in my head?"

Kisuke's smile widened somewhat. "Yes, but trust me, its worth it. If I had to guess, if someone who had never used Chakra before got a Zanpakuto, he or she could easily be on par with a Genin. And, as they got better, they could work all the way up to Kage level. So for someone who already uses Chakra and is a very good ninja, a Zanpakuto could double their strength… maybe more."

"Care to explain more?" Shinji asked with a raised eyebrow, sounding skeptical.

"I've only known about Reiatsu for almost two weeks, you're lucky I know that much about it." Kisuke replied, his eye twitching slightly.

The Kumo born blonde looked about to say something but a voice sounded in his head, still yelling. ::PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE NOT GOING TO THROW ME!::

Shinji clutched his head with his free hand, groaning as he felt a migraine growing. "I'm not going to throw you, now be quiet." He muttered out loud before turning his annoyed gaze to Kisuke. "I'm going to have to live with this?"

"Yes." Was his answer. "Now then, all of you pick up your own sword and tell me what your new companion is like. You can either communicate with them by speaking out loud or directing your thoughts at them." Urahara finished.

Of everyone, it was Love who picked his up first, it too was a standard katana, slightly wider than normal, with matching white scabbard and handle. The guard was a large heart shape, though unlike Hiyori his actually suited him, if only because of his name. The afro-headed man looked at the sword expectantly, only for a loud snoring sound to be heard, much to Love's confusion.

"Well mine is a crazy guy who won't stop yelling." Shinji said, still rubbing his head, as it seemed Love was not going to say anything.

::DON'T THROW ME PLEEEEESSSSASSSSSSE!::

"I won't dammit!" Shinji finally snapped and yelled back, getting an amused chuckle from Yoruichi, only for the blonde to recoil as his Zanpakuto yelled at him again, even louder.

::YES YOU WILL, YOU'RE YELLING, PEOPLE ALWAYS YELL BEFORE THEY THROW SOMETHING!::

"Shut up!"

As Shinji continued to yell at his sword, actually looking ready to throw it, two more people picked up their swords. One was Hiyori, who examined her sword with a light scowl, slowly unsheathing to admire the shining blade. The other was Kensei, his was a shorter sword, a wakizashi to be exact. The handle was pearly-white while the scabbard was pitch-black, a very contrasting theme with a H-shaped guard between them.

::Like, what do you what, huh?:: Hiyori heard in her head, recoiling slightly in surprise.

"Wow." Was all the blonde could say, getting a loud scoff from her new Zanpakuto and what sounded like the chewing of gum.

::Is that, like, all you have to say? God, what is your, like, problem, huh?:: The nameless entity said.

Hiyori's eye began to twitch ever so slightly.

::Like, seriously, I'm here trying to, like, say hi and you, like, don't ever care.:: It then made an unappealing sound that was somewhere between a snort and a laugh. ::Why'd I have to get, like, stuck with such a flat-chest little kid who can't even, like, say anything.::

Hiyori's whole body was twitching now. "Alright, listen here-"

::Ah! Talk to the hand.:: The Zanpakuto interrupted her.

"You don't have any hands!"

Again there was that unappealing sound. ::Like, what_ever_.::

Kensei ignored the blonde girl as she began to grit her teeth and starred at his own blade, not hearing anything. After almost a minute of silence, he spoke up. "Hey, anyone in there?"

::… H-Hai.:: A shy sounding voice came, a little more than a whisper.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

::N-No.:: The voice now sounded depressed.

"Okay." Without even another word, Kensei put his sword through his belt loop. "That cool with you?"

::H-Hai, Kensei-sama!:: The voice said, getting a raised eyebrow from its new wielder at the honorific, but no other response.

Mashiro, ever the one to follow and/or ignore Kensei, picked up her Zanpakuto next. It was katana as well, the scabbard was a strange glossy white, making it look silver in the lighting. The handle was wrapped in jade colored cloth while the guard was a rectangle with four small circles aligning each corner.

::Hiya!:: Came a cheery voice, bringing a smile to the Neon-haired girl's lips.

"Hey."

::You like seafood?::

"Yes."

::Sushi?::

"Yes."

::With rice?::

"What kind of rice?"

::White.::

"No."

::Fried?::

"Yes, you?"

::I like sushi, but I _love_ crabs.::

"Me too!"

As Mashiro happily chatted away, Kisuke was growing annoyed. "Has everyone here except Shinji-san already forgotten what I said?

"Sorry." Love said, sounding slightly ashamed. "Well I don't know anything about mine… as all I can hear is snoring."

"Well mine is very shy, stutters too." Kensei said, sitting down on the ground.

"Mine likes food!" Mashiro cried out before going back to conversing with her new friend, something about chicken.

"This piece of shit is a bitch!" Hiyori yelled, slamming her sword on the table before throwing it at a nearby rock, which seemed to have a negative effect on Shinji's wellbeing as he nearly dropped his own sword has he almost fell to his knees, holding his head.

"No, I'm not going to throw you like Hiyori did, now SHUT UP!" He yelled, groaning as he definitely had a migraine.

At some point during all of this, Lisa had picked up her own sword. It had a navy blue scabbard and a blue handle with a slight purple tint to it. The sword was too long to be a katana, making it a nodachi, and the guard was rectangular with a design that divided it into three smaller rectangles.

::Well, well, well, what da we have here?:: A highly seductive and obviously female voice said. ::Aren't ya a cute little thing.::

Lisa raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she looked at the sword.

::What, ya gonna give me the silent act? That's not very nice.::

"So it is." The bespectacled girl finally answered.

::Oh, what a sweet little voice ya have. Do ya not have a single question for me?::

"No."

::That's not very nice.:: The voice whined. ::And here I thought we could be friends, or maybe _more_.:: The nameless female entity gave an odd giggle, though Lisa only arched an eyebrow once more.

"Are you hitting on me?"

::_Maaaybe_.::

"Are you not female?"

::Oh, I am as much a woman as ya are, I know that much… Ya could always come in here and see for yourself.::

Lisa blinked before shrugging and lowering the sword to her side, not having a place on her skirt to attach it to, and said nothing else to her Zanpakuto.

"What's yours like, Lisa-san?" Kisuke asked, having heard Lisa's half and was curious as to what the unnamed consciousness was like.

"It appears she is a female homosexual nymphomaniac." The Yuki no Kuni native said, not seeming to care at all. All other noise stopped and everyone turned to the woman, creating an awkward silence, something it seemed Lisa had a habit of doing. How she kept a strait face while saying that, none of them knew.

Trying to break the silence, Isaribi picked up her own Zanpakuto. It was a katana, slightly shorter than normal but not to the length of a wakizashi, and had a circular shaped guard, decorated with a swirl. The handle had rusty red colored cloth tied around it and the scabbard was dark, almost black, purple.

::Greetings.:: A voice almost instantly sounded in her head, sounding very formal.

"Hello." Isaribi said, slightly cautious as she was not yet used to hearing voices in her head.

::It is a pleasure to have the chance to work with you, Heika (Your Majesty).::

Isaribi blushed slightly at being called such. "T-There's no need to refer to me like that."

::That does not mean anything, it would be wrong to call my master anything else, Heika.::

"M-Master? No, no, no, no, don't call me that." The fish girl was growing frantic. "I don't want to be anyone's master."

"It's probably possible to guess what Isaribi-san's is like." Kisuke mused as said girl continued to argue with her sword and did not hear him.

It was then Hachigen who picked up his designated sword, a double-edged broad sword with a black scabbard and orange handle, the guard being square shaped.

::Who you be?:: A voice heard only by the pink-haired man said. ::Why you fat?::

"You're grammar is quite bad." Hachi remarked, not really caring about the comment to his weight.

::You ignore me? Why you do that?::

"I'm sorry, but the way you talk is quiet strange." Hachi apologized to the sword, something he has actually done before; being around the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist many times before could do that.

::You make fun of me?::

"Not at all."

Rose was the last to pick up his sword, another katana. The scabbard was a standard black while the handle was orange and a couple inches longer than normal. The guard was a four pointed curved star, with two of the points being longer than the others. Upon touching the blade, he was immediately assaulted with a series of whistles of varying pitches. While surprised at first, the blonde was soon entranced in the soothing sound.

Kisuke stared at Rose as he was lost in thought, not seeming like he was going to respond to anything at the moment. So instead he turned to Hachi. "So, what's yours like, big guy?"

"While his grammar is not the best, he seems to be a decent enough person." The pink haired man said.

Kisuke nodded, as everyone had spoken with his or her Zanpakuto, he might as well mention his own. "My Zanpakuto, Benihime-" At this point he partially unsheathed said blade. "-Is a rather interesting person who is… not so nice."

::Bastard.:: Was his sword's response, getting a smile from Kisuke.

"You named your sword?" Kensei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, and you will probably name your own as well." Seeing the confused look everyone had, now that no one was talking/arguing with the new voice in his or her head anymore. "That is how the true power of a Zanpakuto is activated. You name it, it comes up with a release command, both of you agree with what the other has said, and that's it."

"I call bullshit!" Hiyori called out, crossing her arms.

Kisuke grin grew as he slowly pulled Benihime out even more. "Then perhaps you need a demonstration on what one can do with Reiatsu." Everyone there caught on to what he was saying. Kensei smirked and stood back up, cracking his knuckles. Mashiro gave a childish laugh and started hopping up and down on the balls of her feet. Lisa slightly narrowed her eyes and pushed her glasses up with a single finger. Shinji looked at Kisuke and then sighed before shifting slightly, ready to slip into a fighter stance. Hiyori grinned in a feral manner and rested her new sword on her shoulder. Rose brushed some stray hairs away from his face focused on Kisuke. Love gave a cocky smirk and chuckled lightly. Hachi fully turned to face Kisuke and placed his hands in a strange praying-like manner, his Zanpakuto between his palms. Isaribi glanced around at the people, looking slightly nervous, yet at the same time determined.

"You sure you can handle all of us at once?" Kensei asked in a slightly overconfident voice, the neon green haired girl next to him giggling at the remark.

"Now, now, who said he was alone?" Tessai said as he walked up to Kisuke's side, twirling a staff he got from Kami knows where with expert ease.

"My thoughts exactly." Yoruichi said, mimicking her friend and walking to stand on Kisuke's other side, a large cheshire grin nearly splitting her face in half. "But he's right, three verses nine does seem unfair."

"See, she agrees with me." The silver-haired Oni no Kuni native said, though it was more teasing then trying to get his point across and stop them.

"I think she means it's unfair because we know what we're doing-" The pale-blonde teen then fully unsheathed Benihime as he glanced between his nine soon-to-be opponents, his grin not faulting in the slightest. "-and you don't."

"Then we'll just have to prove you wrong then, won't we?" Hiyori rhetorically asked as she continued to give a feral grin.

"Just don't go crazy again." Kisuke joked, getting a growl from the shorter blonde. "Let's see what all of you can do." His grin seemed to widen and his gray eyes glowed with some unknown power. _"You ready for this?"_

::Do you seriously need to ask me that?:: He could hear the smile that the redhead had.

Not even bothering to answer, Kisuke channeled Reiatsu into said blade. "Let's party!"

* * *

Back over in Hi no Kuni, in the decent sized town of Tanzaku Gai (Small Poem Victory Song), a young looking woman sat at a local bar, chugging a shot of sake. She looked to be in her twenties, thirties at most, with long blonde hair in two ponytails. A small purple diamond-shaped tattoo rested on the center of her forehead, above her honey-brown eyes. She was garbed in a rather strange gray shirt, held in place by a blue sash, dark blue pants and high-healed shoes.

Next to the blonde was a slightly younger looking woman with charcoal colored eyes and hair. She wore dark-gray a kimono type outfit with a pale purple sash around her waist.

"Tsunade-hime, what a chance meeting you here." A voice called out.

The blonde looked up just in time to see none other than Jiraiya taking a seat at the booth across from the two women.

"J-Jiraiya-sama!" The younger, dark-haired woman said in surprise, not expecting to see one of the Sannin here of all places.

The blonde, now known as Tsunade, was nowhere near as surprised as her companion, which she proved quite bluntly. "What the hell are you here for, Jiraiya? There isn't any good hot springs nearby."

"Looking for you in fact." The white-haired man said with a smile, pouring himself a saucer of sake, not seeming to hear the warning growl from Tsunade. Taking a sip of the alcohol, he looked at the dark-haired woman, who still looked nervous. "How are you doing, Shizune?"

"Very well, Jiraiya-sama." The now known Shizune answered.

The white-haired man's smile faltered as he looked around the bar, seeming to look for something. "Oi, Tsunade-hime, where's that other girl I saw you traveling with? Retsu, I think was her name."

Shizune became much more nervous, which was easily seen to anyone, but Tsunade did not even bat an eyelash at the question. "Don't change the subject, Jiraiya, what do you want?"

The male Sannin seemed to drop the question and gave the busty blonde a serious look. "Sarutobi-sensei is retiring again."

The blonde snickered at the words. "Again? Who's he picking as his next successor, you?" She asked in a teasing, almost insulting voice.

"No… You."

Tsunade gave a quick, but loud laugh, taking another sip of sake. "Yeah right, like I'd take up that job, I would rather die from an alcohol-induced liver failure than for a whole village of nameless pricks who I don't even know."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "Do you even know why he resigned, Tsunade?" He did not even bother to call her princess.

"Do I care?" She shot back, meeting is glare unflinching.

After a minute or so of staring at each other, and nearly giving poor Shizune a heart attack at the tension in the air, Jiraiya sighed and broke eye contact, reaching into one of his many pockets for something. "Someone went Missing-nin."

Tsunade gave another chuckle. "So? People have always been leaving, or have you forgotten the third member of out little group?" Jiraiya flinched slightly, but the blonde continued. "Why does it matter if some random brat went rouge?"

Jiraiya said nothing, instead pulling out some kind of book and flipping through the pages, looking for something.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at the silence. "It wasn't just some random brat, was it?" He still did not answer, though this time it answered her question. "Who was it? His grandson or something?"

"Close." Jiraiya finally spoke again. "He looked at the kid as his grandson, and you probably would have too if you met him."

Tsunade gave the man a confused and slightly angered looked, not that he noticed as he was still looking through the book. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Instead of receiving an answer, the blonde got the book Jiraiya was looking though being placed on the table in front of her, open to a certain page. She now recognized it as a Bingo Book, a booklet holding the bounties of all the enemies of a certain village, this one being for Konoha. The page it was opened to had the stats and description of a person, a Missing-nin, but Tsunade paid no attention to any of that. She focused on the picture of the person. It looked to be a young teenager with blonde hair and blue eyes; he had white face paint on, decorated with red swirls. He also had paint on his hand that he was holding up, as if to push the camera away. All of that combined with the pose he was taking made it impossible for the blonde to hold back her next comment. "You can't be serious?" Jiraiya just gave her a blank stare. "Sarutobi-sensei is getting all worked up because this… buffoon went rouge? He really has gone senile." She took a swig of sake, this time from the bottle.

"His name is Naruto."

Tsunade stopped mid-drink and put the bottle down, giving Jiraiya a strange look. It was rather obvious she had heard that name before, but could not place it.

"Namikaze Naruto, to be more specific… he's Kushina's kid."

The busty blonde's face did not change; as if she could not register the words she had heard. Slowly her eyes widened until they seemed about to pop off of her face. Her hands began to shake, causing her to knock the sake bottle off the table, where it smashed on the floor, stopping all other noise in the bar.

The sake flowed out of the busted ceramic bottle as everyone else in the bar looked at the booth holding the three people. Tsunade's hand, still trembling, gripped the edge of the wooden table, almost for support. Her head was bent down, hiding her eyes from view from behind her blonde hair, though it did nothing to hide that she was biting her lower lip.

"… That's a very bad joke, Jiraiya." She finally said, though it was so quiet that it could only be heard because the bar was deathly quiet. "J-Just… Just shut up."

"It's no j-"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" She yelled, slamming her free hand down on the table as she stood up, smashing the wood without even noticing it.

"Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked cautiously to the standing woman, unsure of what to do. Shizune had remained seated, just staying quiet to see where this would go, just like everyone else in the bar. The only female Sannin just stood there, hands at her sides, fists clenched, and her bangs still blocking her eyes from view.

The blonde mumbled something unintelligible out in response.

"What was that?"

"What did he do, Jiraiya?" She said a little louder.

After a short pause, the man answered. "To put it bluntly, all of the same things Orochimaru did."

A trail of blood was visible going down the blonde woman's chin as her teeth pierced through the skin of her bottom lip. "I failed her." She said, a little louder than a whisper. "I failed all of them." Almost like a floodgate, the blonde woman, one of the strongest people in the Elemental Nations, fell to her knees, her arms wrapping around herself. "Kushina, Minato, Naruto, Isane, Kiyone; I failed them all." Though unseen by anyone, her eyes were on the verge of leaking tears. "When Minato asked me to be his son's godmother, I was… happy."

Jiraiya, unsure of what to do, just stood there until he noticed that everyone else in the large bar was staring at his crying teammate. "Tsunade-hime, let's get out of here." Bending down, the white-haired man helped the woman off the ground as she mumbled to herself. Shizune rushed to her master's side as they left the bar.

Jiraiya, with one arm around his now crying teammate, had an unusual serious face as he listened to Tsunade's mumbling.

"She said she was pregnant. She said she wanted me as a godmother, and I failed at that too." The busty blonde said. "I should have been there for him, Naruto, but I couldn't, I didn't want him to put him in danger like… like…" At this point her tears were flooding down her face and she sobbed. "I failed as a teammate for Orochimaru, I failed as a godmother for Naruto, I failed as a friend for Kushina, I failed _them_, I'm a failure, but I've known that I've always known that, I just tried to prove myself wrong." They finally reached the motel room that Jiraiya rented, Shizune ran off to go get something. "I should have just given up, should have told Minato to get someone else, I should have known… but I couldn't help myself, and I regretted it as soon as I said yes."

"… ade… Tsu… Tsunade!" Jiraiya shouted, finally getting the blonde woman to look at him with tear stricken eyes as she sat on the bed of the motel room. "Stop talking nonsense! It wasn't your fault for any of those things, it was-" He was stopped when a Chakra-powered slap met his cheek and sent him flying into the wall, leaving a dent. Recovering quickly he got up, looking rather pissed. "What was that for?"

"You don't understand." Tsunade said, standing up as well just to turn away from Jiraiya.

"What don't I understand?" He countered, moving towards her, only to be punched again, abet weaker than before. He skidded a few feet back, but did not fall over. "Will you stop hitting me! I'm just telling you it's not your fault!"

"Yes it is!" She shouted, turning to face her teammate, her honey-brown eyes horribly bloodshot. "I should have never accepted being his godmother, but I did it anyway!"

"Well then why shouldn't you have taken it?"

"I was scared!" Taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself, she continued. "People are always coming after me, Jiraiya, people who want to kill me! Do you know what happens when someone who was targeting me sees me with a child?"

"I-"

"I do!" She interrupted him, moving until she was standing in front of him, glaring up into the eyes of the taller man. "I've seen in when I'm with Shizune, I've seen it when I was with Retsu, I've even seen it when I was with Kushina when she was younger! But none of, not a single one, give the same feeling when someone attacks you and you have your _own children with you_!"

Jiraiya's eyes widened at what she were insinuating. "Tsunade… did you-"

"Yes!" She interrupted him again, still right in front of him. "I was a mother, I had my own children, two twin daughters!" Seeing Jiraiya about to say something, she continued. "Dan was the father! And I can tell you that when I was with those two I was the happiest I've ever been in my long life!" Tsunade then gripped the collar of Jiraiya's shirt, still glaring into his eyes. "No matter what you may live through, there is nothing like that feeling when you see what you love more than anything in the world, your own flesh and blood, in the hands of a man who has a blade to their neck." Almost as if her neck gave out, Tsunade's head limped forward until it was resting on Jiraiya's chest. She continued to talk, though with much less anger. "_That_ feeling is what kept me away from Naruto. I was afraid that if the same thing were to happen to him I would fell _that_ again, and I would rather die then again feel so… so… hopeless."

Jiraiya, looked at the woman as she wept into his shirt, soaking it, not that he cared. As perverted as he was, he learned long ago that Tsunade would always be a sister to him. That annoying, loud, complaining sister who he would take on the world to protect. In this light, he wrapped his arms around the woman, trying to comfort her anyway he could.

"If someone else had been chosen to be Naruto's godmother, then they could have been there for him." She continued. "I should have never accepted it, I regretted it as soon as I said yes."

It was at that moment Shizune came back, holding some kind of container in her hands. "Tsunade-sama!" She called, only to stop when she saw the two Sannin in an embrace. Shaking off her shock, the youngest person in the room rushed over and gave her blonde master the container. "Here, take these, they'll calm you down."

Without even looking at what was in it, Tsunade took the entire container of knockout pills, which worked after a minute, shown by the blonde collapsing into an uneasy slumber, quickly being caught by Jiraiya and placed on the bed.

"Shizune." The man said after a minute of silence.

"… Hai, Jiraiya-sama?" The young woman responded, slightly worried.

"Tell me what happened." He need not say more, as it was obvious.

"I-I can't do that Jiraiya-sama." The man sent a glare at the woman, only making her more nervous. "I-It's not my place, I-I'm sorry."

Jiraiya held is glare for a few seconds before dropping it and looking back over to his sleeping teammate. "Can you at least tell me their names?"

"…"

"Did Tsunade give them her surname?" He prodded when Shizune would not answer.

Somewhat reluctant, the young brunette shook her head. "No, she gave them Dan's, Kotetsu."

Nodding in understanding, Jiraiya continued, he was going to get some information out of the young woman. "And their first names?

Shizune shuffled her feet, a habit she grew when nervous. Eventually she broke and told him, kinda. "They were two girls, twins, one took after Dan while the other was almost a miniature copy of Tsunade-sama, though with slightly darker hair. She was only expecting one child, but ended up giving birth to two. We were in a small town near the border of Hi no Kuni and Ta no Kuni. It was a Tuesday and-"

"Their names, Shizune." The man cut off her rambling with a stern look, which only made her shuffle her feet again.

"… We were heading north when it happened, though Retsu-nee-chan and myself kept trying to get Tsunade-sama to turn back around, Kumo was north of us and they didn't really-"

"Names."

Finally giving in, Shizune told him. "Isane and Kiyone."

* * *

"_Okaa-san! Okaa-san!"_

_A younger Tsunade looked up from the herbs she was picking with a dark-haired, blue-eyed girl. Two children were running towards her, both of six years old. The shorter one had blonde hair, a shade darker than her own and gray eyes. The other, a few inches taller than her companion, had silver hair and gray eyes as well. They both wore small, children's kimono, the silver-haired girl's was dark blue while the blonde's was a rust red. What really caught Tsunade's attention was pink object the shorter of the two was holding as they ran through the grass field. The pink object, being obvious as it was moving and letting out a high pitched squeal, was alive._

"_Isane-chan, Kotetsu-chan, what do you have now?" Tsunade asked in a slightly annoyed tone as they neared._

"_A pig! A pig!" They cheered in unison, stopping before their mother, Kotetsu holding out said animal as it struggled in her small grasp._

"_And a cute little pig it is." The blonde mother said, bending down to their level. "But why did you bring it here, unless you want to have it for dinner." She said in a teasing tone as the piglet seemed to squeal louder and increased it's struggling._

_The two girls gasped and pulled the piglet away from their mother. "Okaa-san!" Isane shouted in disbelief._

"_Why would eat her, she so cute?" Kotetsu continued._

"_Her?" The blue-eyed girl who was picking herbs with Tsunade said as she stood up. "How do you know it's a girl."_

"_Because Okaa-san says that all men idiots and Tonton is smart, so then she is a she." Kotetsu said, as if stating the obvious._

_Tsunade laughed hard at that. "She got you there, Retsu-chan." She said to the blue-eyed girl, who blushed in embarrassment and looked away. The blonde then blinked as her mind registered something. "You named her? Why would we do that?" She asked her two daughters._

"_We want to keep her." Kotetsu said, quickly followed by Isane._

"_Yeah, come one Okaa-san, pleeeease? We'll take care of her."_

"_And feed her."_

"_And bathe her."_

"_And feed her."_

"_And-"_

"_Alright, alright!" Tsunade finally said, though the smile she had plastered on her face showed that she was not annoyed at all. "You can keep little Tonton here." The two six-year-old girls cheered. "But!" Tsunade then glared at, of all things, the piglet. "You better be a good pig, got that?" The piglet, as if sensing that it could live to see another day, nodded furiously, getting a smirk from the blonde woman. "Good. Now come on all of you, Shizune-chan is making dinner."_

"_Hai, Okaa-chan!" The two younger girls said, already running towards a small cottage a little ways away, singing some kind of song, a lullaby by the sound of it._

"_Hurry up, Retsu-aneue!" Isane shouted at the blue-eyed girl when she saw she was not following._

"_Yeah, Shizune-aneue found some more of that wine you like!" Her sister continued._

_Retsu's eyes shined with excitement. "I haven't had any of that in so long." The teenager was promptly hit on the head, not enough to bruise but it still hurt. "What was that for, Tsunade-sama?" She asked the blonde, rubbing her injured cranium._

"_You drink to much of that wine." Tsunade shot back, looking annoyed. "You'll become an alcoholic if you keep this up, and you're only sixteen!"_

"_You want me to stop?" Retsu responded, sounding worried._

"_Just watch yourself, alcohol does weird things to people." The Sannin responded, sounding more motherly this time._

_Retsu pouted at being treated like a child as she gave the older woman an annoyed look. "You don't even drink so what would you know?"_

"_That doesn't mean I've never had a drink before, now hurry up and catch up with the others." With the conversation dropped, Retsu ran to the cottage to have her share of dinner made by her sister._

_Tsunade stood in still, looking after where her strange five-person family ran. _"No, six now if you count Tonton."_ She mentally corrected. With one last chuckle she ran to get her own dinner as well. _"I don't want this to ever go away."

_If only she knew._

* * *

It had been five mouths since she had been 'kidnapped' in favor of going with 'Kisuke', and Shihoin Yoruichi was annoyed. Said dark-skinned girl was standing on the porch of their new hideout, the Urahara Shoten (Reverse Store) as they decided to name it. She starred out in no particular direction, trying to think of something to vent her frustration on. But why was she frustrated?

Was it because she had to leave the only thing she ever knew as home? No, she was perfectly okay with that, she actually enjoyed all of the freedom she now had. Was it because she had to leave Soi Fon, someone who could have been a true friend sooner or later, behind? No, she missed the petite girl, but there was no way around it other than bringing her into exile as well, and no matter what her former bodyguard might have said, that was not the life for her. Was she annoyed because, of all the places, they chose to live in Nami no Kuni? No, she loved it here, the smell of the sea and a seemingly bottomless supply of fish made that impossible for the last Shihoin. Was she annoyed by their store's name, or that they had to run a store as a cover, a candy store to be more exact. Again, no, there were plenty of people that came in, most with children or loved ones who wanted something sweet. Yoruichi loved listening to their stories or just the constant rambling of the kids, a luxury she did not know she was missing back in Kumo. She was actually the one who picked the store name, so it would be hypocritical to be annoyed by that.

What she was annoyed by was what 'Kisuke' had been calling her. Practically as soon as they met he had always said 'Yoruichi-chan', much to her secret enjoyment. He was actually the first person to call her with that honorific, not even her own parents, back when they were alive, called her that. But now it was always 'Yoruichi-san' or just 'Yoruichi', which just pissed her off. For a while she questioned why he started calling her that. It was not to keep up a public appearance, as he still called her that when they were alone. It took her awhile, but she at least figured out when it started. It was right after the three of them, 'Kisuke', Yoruichi, and Tessai, had all explained their lives before they met.

The Shihoin did not know how the pale-blonde's sudden personality switch was caused by that, but it was a start. She sighed at seeing the sun starting to rise over the horizon, as she had not slept the entire night, something that was beginning to become a frequent occurrence. The store would be opening soon and with Tessai getting more products and 'Kisuke' with the Visored (Masked Army), as the nine mismatch semi-hollow people called themselves now, she would have to run the first shift, not that she minded.

If only she could figure out the mystery that was 'Kisuke'

The mystery that was Naruto.

* * *

Said pale-blonde sneezed suddenly as he watched the Visored take turns sparring. They had come quiet far since they first met, easily considered friends, even if a few denied it. They all were now had at least a decent relationship with their Zanpakuto, though a few were strained slightly. Three of them had already decided a name/release command, with their Shikai having interesting results.

"Urahara-san." Lisa, who was standing before him, her usual borderline emotionless expression on, brought the teen of his thoughts. Her outfit had changed to that similar to a uniform for a civilian school, as few as they were out there, they did exist. She wore a white blouse with a teal-green collar and miniskirt. Black stockings stopped just below her knees and disappearing into pristine white shoes that somehow managed to stay clean despite how much she runs around.

Blinking in surprise, as the slightly older woman rarely started a conversation with anyone, Kisuke quickly responded. "Yes, Lisa-san?"

"I wish to make a request." She said without any preamble. "I would like to go back to my homeland of Yuki no Kuni, timeframe unknown but will probably be a month at lowest."

Kisuke narrowed his eyes. "For the safety of yourself and the general public, I can't let you leave here unless you have a incredibly good reason." There had been exactly seven, including the first time with Hiyori, instances when one of the nine people have lost control and began to 'turn' as they called it. Twice with Hiyori, once with Love, once with Isaribi, once with Mashiro and Kensei at the same time, and once with Hachi when he was trying to hold down the two hollowfied Oni no Kuni natives. None of those times were at all pleasant, or on purpose, but they caused serious damage, both to the underground room and those trying to fight back. Thankfully, no one had been killed, yet at least.

After a moment's pause, something uncommon for Lisa, she answered. "Our princess is returning home."


	8. Burning in Snow

**AN:** Well its been a while since I've updated. If you don't want to read my excuse please skip to the next paragraph. I, as much as I don't like it, am still in school and finals were a couple weeks ago. Turns out big ass tests are a great way to kill off my inspiration, go figure. It also did not help that it took me three days to find an online version of the Clash of Ninja in the Land of Snow movie, as I didn't remember most of it, and the one I did find was only the first half of the movie, which is about where this chapter ends.

Anyway, I find that this chapter is a little sloppy, but that's just me.

In other news, I find myself overtaken by the sudden urge to write more stories. Doing this may quicken or slow down my updates, I have no idea so we'll just have to find out. I'm already in the making of two Naruto-centric stories. I'm making at least one of them a harem because I want to try that out, but I may make both of them one. They will be crossovers as this story is the only one I feel like doing in the Naruto world for now.

Next, I feel that it is necessary for me to say that I'm an idiot. I was trying to find a sword style from some other anime or something for Naruto/Kisuke. I didn't want to do Zoro's (One Piece) or that one from Rurouni Kenshin as I've never seen that anime and they're both overused in fanfiction. It was only while I was writing this a few days ago that it hit me, I don't know how I never thought of this before (He uses a goddam shikomizue for christ's sake!). If you watch the anime/read the manga that the style I gave Kisuke is from and you are a serious fan, you should recognize its small premier in this chapter. If you don't recognize it, Google it or something.

Anyway, enough with my boring intro.

Read & Review  
Enjoy

* * *

**Burning in Snow**

"Why did it get so damn cold all of a sudden?" Kisuke shouted out, rubbing his arms in an attempt to stay warm as he stood on the bow of a decent sized ship, absently channeling Chakra to his feet as not to stumble on the ever-changing seas.

"What were you expecting? A desert? It's called Snow Country for a reason." Yoruichi remarked from the pale-blonde's right. "And despite that you're wearing little more than pajamas. You don't even have socks on, let alone a coat."

"Well sorry, but I didn't have time to buy a coat while trying to keep nine insanely powerful strangers to not kill themselves or each other." Kisuke then suddenly sneezed violently. "Even better I'm sick now. Since when could I get sick?"

::Since I was no longer in your gut keeping your scrawny ass healthy.:: Benihime chimed in, sounding amused.

"_I'm ignoring you."_ Sneezing again, he gave Yoruichi a dry look. "And why aren't you suffering like I am? I don't see any socks on you either, and that's my coat!"

"First of all, you gave this coat to me and I'm starting to like to orange so there's no way I'm giving it back to you. Secondly, Kaminari no Kuni is almost completely mountains, surrounded by ocean on two sides, and so far north that the only trees you see are evergreens, so it's fairly cold up there."

Kisuke grumbled quietly, unable to think of a comeback. "At least it's not snowing."

"It will probably start snowing in the next few minutes based on the clouds." A random crewmember said from behind the two teenagers.

"Quiet! You're not helping here!" Kisuke snapped, pointing his cane at the man and ignoring the giggle from his purple-haired companion. He probably would have continued ranting had he not sneezed once more, giving the stranger enough time to leave and get back to his work.

Kisuke, Yoruichi, and Lisa, the former two having to be convinced by the latter, boarded the transport ship set to disembark to Yuki no Kuni in pursuit of Fujikaze Yukie, a.k.a. Kazahana Koyuki, the rightful ruler of the country. They had been sailing for a little over two days now and were close to the island nation, as evident by the sudden drop of temperature and, by extension, Kisuke's numerous curses on his hatred for said temperature.

"You should have brought a coat kid." Called out another random person, this one obviously a passenger as he had not been doing anything except sleeping for the entire trip, and looked too old to do any strenuous labor. "As your girlfriend there said, what were expecting? We haven't even gotten to into the windy area yet, you'll die of frostbite before you get anywhere of importance."

"Just shut it, Jiji. And she's not my girlfriend." The man shrugged and lay back down, pulling his straw hat over his face and seeming to go back to sleep. Turning back to the churning sea, completely missing Yoruichi's rather depressed look, Kisuke continued his conversation with the girl. "You know what, I blame Lisa for this."

"For you being cold, how do you figure that?" The dark-skinned Shihoin asked.

"Yes, how do you figure that?" A voice suddenly said from between the two, getting one to stiffen and flinching away in surprise and the other to give a scream and sneeze at the same time, generating a rather strange series of sounds.

"Don't do that Lisa!" Kisuke yelled at the woman who appeared just between the two of them without either realizing.

Lisa just gave the pale-blonde a blank look. "Are you going to tell me why you blame me for you being cold?" She asked, completely ignoring what he just said.

With a slight twitch in his eye, Kisuke answered. "If I recall correctly, you were the one who said to just make the trip in what I had on. And, in case you have not noticed, you're wearing a damn miniskirt and you live here, so I figured 'Hey it can't be that cold'. Oh, and you were also the one who dragged me on this trip in the first place!"

Lisa gave him another blank stare before blinking once turning and leaving, her sword held in one hand as she refused to use a strap of any kind to hold in place for her.

"I hate her so much." Kisuke glared at the retreating form of his bespectacled comrade, only to sneeze again. "So very much." Turning back to the sea once more, he planned to start up another conversation when he saw something in the distance, his gray eyes narrowing in an attempt to focus. "What is that?"

"Looks like an iceberg." Yoruichi commented. "But there's something else, a boat maybe?"

"How can you make that out, all I see is a shadow."

Yoruichi gave Kisuke a cheeky smile. "Because your eyesight sucks."

The pale-blonde grumbled something unintelligible, then sneezed again. "I hate the cold."

"Wear a coat." The old man, who was once again awake, called.

"I don't have one dammit!"

It was about now that Lisa came back to the front of the ship, her eyes focused on an orange book in her hand that looked familiar to Kisuke for some reason. "What are you arguing about now?" The brunette asked, not looking up.

"Kisuke's eyesight sucks." Yoruichi chimed in with the same smile as before.

"First of all, screw you. Second, there's a boat over there." The male of the three said, pointing at the aforementioned location.

The Yuki native still remained looking at her book. "That's nice, now will you two stop arguing like a married couple." Lisa then turned and left to go do… whatever it is she has been doing with that book. Kisuke's eye twitched slightly while Yoruichi's cheeks darkened.

"Now you can see where I got the girlfriend comment from." The old man said, chuckling.

Kisuke was about to yell back when a man in the crow's nest of the ship called out. "Everyone, look alive! There are some of Doto's men coming this way!" At the call, most of the crew started scrambling around, trying to hide anything that might bring on the wrath of the servants of the wayward Daimyo. Kisuke and Yoruichi stopped all argument. Lisa had told them that the man was their enemy, for all they knew they might have to fight soon.

Said Yuki native did not react, just looked around until she spotted the incoming people, three to be exact. They were all at least into their twenties, one female and two males. They all had pale-blue body suits and gray hats, a ninja headband one the front decorated with snowflakes. They were running atop the water, much to amazement of a few of the crew, and were headed in their general direction, though it did not appear they were trying to board the boat. This was proven when they ran past the boat, not even giving it a glance.

But something caught Lisa's attention. One of the males, a tall man with pale-purple hair tied in a ponytail, a scar under his right eye, ran past the boat with a person slung over his shoulder. It was the person the man was carrying that got Lisa to freeze in her tracks. "Koyuki-hime." She muttered in a daze as the rather attractive dark-haired woman was carried right passed the boat, quickly moving out of sight.

Acting on impulse, Lisa dropped her book and rushed to side of the boat, about to jump over the side if a hand on her shoulder had not stopped her. "Whoa Lisa, what's the rush?" Kisuke asked, only for Lisa to smack his hand away, an almost scared look on her face, a thing not seen before by the pale-blonde.

"That was Koyuki-hime!" She shouted, her voice rushed. "If those three get her to Doto then he'll kill her!"

Recognition shown in Kisuke's eyes. "That was the lady we were supposed to protect?" He did not get an answer as Lisa already jumped off the boat, running atop the water after quickly disappearing enemy ninja. "Well shit." He cursed, jumping over soon afterwards, running to keep up. _"I'm so glad Tessai taught me how to walk on water."_

"Lisa! Kisuke!" Yoruichi yelled after them, but they did not seem to hear her. "Why can't they just wait for me?" But despite her annoyance, she quickly followed as well, easily staying atop the ocean surface.

Almost a minute later, the three members of the makeshift team were running next to each other, the three of Doto's soldiers still far ahead. "Lisa, we can't catch them like this!" Kisuke shouted at the girl, trying to be heard over the rough ocean winds.

"What do you expect of me?" Lisa yelled back, her desperate face looking very un-Lisa-like. "It is my sworn duty to protect Koyuki-hime, what else am I supposed to do?" While she knew she was holding her sword rather tightly, Lisa could not see that the sclera of her eyes had become black.

The pale-blonde suddenly smacked Lisa on the cheek, stopping her in her tracks and nearly causing her to fall in the water. "Dammit Lisa calm down and listen to me! This is not the time to go Hollow!" He yelled at the older female. "For now I am the leader, so listen to what I say, got it?" The Yuki native nodded, her eyes back to normal and her face the old expressionless figure it usually is. "Good, Yoruichi, you're the fastest out of use, go around and attack them from the other side."

"Got it." The Shihoin said, sprinting away at her top speed.

"Now then." Kisuke then pointed his right index and middle fingers at the running enemies. "If they are any good then they'll dodge this, when they do, go after the one that's carrying Koyuki." He instructed Lisa, getting a nod in return. "_Caller of storms, passing of thunder, bid south for the mountains peak. Strike true with black clouds. Call out the beast's fear of the blue scar. _Hado no Yon: Byakurai (Way of Destruction Number Four: Pale Lightning)!" From his out stretched fingers, a large beam of bluish lightning shot out, heading straight for the running enemies. As Kisuke expected, all three of them jumped away just in time, completely avoiding the blast. Yoruichi suddenly kicked one of the males mid-air, knocking both of them away from the other two. "Go."

Not needing any more to be said, Lisa sprinted away as well, her target the man carrying the rightful Daimyo of Yuki no Kuni, a man by the name of Roga Nadare.

"Guess that leaves me with the lady." Kisuke muttered, not very excited about fighting a woman, sparring enough with Yoruichi and Hiyori could do that to you.

The man that Yoruichi kicked away landed on the water with a light grunt, rolling away and jumping to his feet with practiced ease. He was a middle-aged man on the larger side. He had onyx colored eyes and short purple hair, though it was lighter colored than Yoruichi's own. He had large metal shoulder pads and his left arm was in some kind of gauntlet. In the center of his chest was a machine decorated with a green and white Ying-Yang symbol.

The Shihoin landed nimbly on her feet facing her opponent, sizing him up.

"Who the hell are you?" The man asked, rather rudely.

"Call me Yoruichi, now can you tell me your name?" She replied.

A little surprised that she actually answered him, the man responded. "Mizore. Fuyukuma Mizore. I honestly don't care what you're here for, but it's obvious you want to fight. So let's stop the talking and get on with it girly."

Yoruichi's eye twitched at the nickname. "Gladly."

Suddenly, the man's hand detached from the rest of his body and shot at the girl, the sound of steam rushing being the only warning. Not expecting anything like this, Yoruichi was only able to jump out of the way just in time to not be grabbed. Only then did she realize that it was not Mizore's arm, but the metal hand of the gantlet that shot out at her. It was also noticeable that said hand was connected to the man via chain.

Yoruichi turned back to Mizore just in time to have his right fist buried in her stomach, launching her back some, but she still managed to land on her feet and skidded to a halt. _"Kami he hits hard."_ The Shihoin thought, idly rubbing her stomach where she was hit. _"But it doesn't feel like he broke anything, this time at least. Still, there's no way I can beat him in a battle of strength, and I can't use Shunko on water or else I'll just electrocute myself and anyone else nearby, ally or not. Guess all I have is speed on my side. Then in that matter this should be similar to when I spar with Kensei."_

With no more thoughts on the subject, Yoruichi rushed at the man, ducking under a right haymaker and bringing her own punch to his chin. Mizore took the hit with only a small grunt of pain, quickly sending a flat-footed kick at his smaller opponent, who jumped back to avoid it. With another jet of steam, the man sent his chain hand at Yoruichi once more. Recognizing the sound, she jumped high into the air and avoided the strange weapon, which crashed into the water with a large splash. Flipping in midair, Yoruichi came back down with an axe kick, which was blocked by the man's right arm. Acting quickly, having been in a similar situation with Kensei before, Yoruichi grabbed the man's other hand that he tried to punch her with and used that as a pivot point to get behind him and wrap her legs around his neck. Bringing her hands up and interlocking the fingers, she hit him directly atop his head with a double axe handle, earning a cracking sound.

Jumping away as Mizore tried to grab her again, Yoruichi landed on her feet once more. _"How much can this guy take?"_ She could not help but question, seeing blood slowly travel down his face and his angry expression. "Why haven't you used any Ninjutsu or Genjutsu yet?" She questioned Mizore, using the time to stand and catch her breath.

"Why haven't you?" He countered, seeming to rest as well.

"The only thing I have even resembling Ninjutsu isn't helpful to use on water." She then scowled slightly and mentally added. _"And I can't learn any Kido."_

"To bad for you even if you did use them they wouldn't do much."

Yoruichi gave the man a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

Mizore had a knowing grin on his face. "You don't need to know, girly."

* * *

Kisuke gazed at his own opponent from under his hat, leaning on Benihime, which somehow did not go through the ocean's surface, and giving what he thought was a disarming smile. "Ohayou! How are you doing on this cold day?"

"Cold?" The woman asked with a raised eyebrow. "You're not from around here are you? It's warmer today then it usually is."

Kisuke's smile dropped, along with his jaw. "You're joking! It's freezing out here, how is it a warm day?"

The woman barked out a laugh. "Definitely not from around here." She was a young woman with pink hair and yellow-green eyes. Kisuke wondered for a moment if she was related to Sakura, but forgot that train of though soon after. She had the same blue and gray skintight suit as her teammates and had ponytail-like wrapped hair coming out of the top her hat. On her back was an unknown device with a green and white Ying-Yang symbol and two bars sticking out of the top. "Maybe you should wear a coat."

Kisuke gave her a dull look. "I'm going to forget that you just said that." Shifting the cane in his hand, he held it bottom without unsheathing it, wanting to try a different way of fighting for now. "My name is Urahara Kisuke."

The woman gave the teen a strange look. "I didn't ask for you name."

The pale-blonde's smile came back slightly as he shifted his right foot forward. "I think that it is important to know the name of someone you fight with."

She laughed again. "Alright, I like you kid. You can call me Fubuki." She then made a Tiger hand sign. "And this is where I got the name from. Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki (Ice Release: Swallow Snowstorm)!" Out of the water below them, a large flock of swallows made from ice flew up, circling around before diving at Kisuke.

Reacting quicker than the Yuki Kunoichi thought he would, Kisuke switched his cane to his other hand and put his fist against the ocean's surface. "Hado no Roku: Ridatsu (Way of Destruction Number Six: Break Away)!" A shockwave emanated from where his fist met the water, sending up waves that intercepted the ice swallows, throwing up a cloud of mist upon contact. He then put his hands together in a cross. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique)!" An exact replica of the teen appeared on either side of him, not that Fubuki could see with the waves and mist in the way, and each grabbing one of his arms and throwing high into the air in the direction of their opponent. "Hado no Go: Ittenki (Way of Destruction Number Five: Turning Point)!" Holding his free hand up, Kisuke swung it down in an arc like one would a hammer; he sent an orb of energy at the woman. Fubuki jumped out of the way, only for the orb to make a sudden turn and hit her again, throwing up a cloud of smoke.

With a slightly wider than normal smile, the pale-blonde fell back to the water.

"Hyoro no Jutsu (Ice Prison Technique)!"

A pillar of ice began to form out of the cold water at an alarming rate. Only the quick use of a Shadow Clone to throw him away saved Kisuke from being caught in it. His clone was quickly encased in ice and unable to move, dispelling it.

The real Kisuke landed back on the water just as the smoke from his attack cleared to show the woman standing with a hand on her hip and a smirk on her face, not a single scratch on her. "You're better than I thought you would be, kid."

"What the hell?" He asked before he realized it. "That hit you, how are you still standing?"

Fubuki's smile grew, if only slightly. "You don't need to know that."

Kisuke frowned. This fight just got a lot harder.

* * *

"Roga Nadare, I can honestly say I do not like having to meet you again." Lisa said with an uncharacteristic frown, eyeing the man carrying her princess.

Nadare looked back with confusion, not seeming to consider the woman a threat. "Do I know you?"

"Probably not." Lisa unsheathed her sword and got in into an odd and slightly sloppy sword stance with her blade in her right hand and scabbard in the other, both held at eye level. "But I have seen you once before."

The male of the two looked at Lisa, trying to remember her, but drew blanks. "Oh well, it does not matter. I can guess what you're here for." As if to prove his point, Nadare held the woman he had over his shoulder off to the side, as if to drop her into the freezing ocean, not missing Lisa take a step forward. "See? You're here for Koyuki-hime, how predictable."

"What did you do to her?" Lisa demanded, seeing as the princess was not moving and her eyes were closed, the rolled up cloth in her mouth not helping to sooth her thoughts.

"She was getting loud, so we gagged her, but she kept kicking, so now she's unconscious." Nadare then put the woman back over his shoulder. "Now then, what are you willing to do to get her back?"

"More than you know." The brunette rushed her opponent, starting with a diagonal slash with her sword, which Nadare sidestepped. The man then brought up his free hand to block a kick from Lisa. He then did something unexpected, and threw the unconscious Koyuki into the air. Lisa gasped, her eyes following the form of her princess, causing her to miss the punch that met her collarbone from Nadare's now free hand.

"That's what I expected to hear." Nadare said as he effortlessly caught Koyuki with Lisa stumbling back. He then charged at Lisa, who saw it and brought her sword up, ready to stab the man. Just before she struck, the man once more threw Koyuki, only this time _at_ Lisa. Surprised once more by the action, Lisa stopped her attack and spread her arms, as if to catch the other woman, only for another punch to be met in her ribcage. "You would never hurt your dear princess, would you?" Nadare asked rhetorically, catching Koyuki once more as Lisa tried to recover from his hit. He gave a confident smirk. "Just like all of those other idiots. This won't even be a challenge."

Lisa glared at the man. He was using _her_ princess as a meat shield and had the gall to say it was stupid of her to not try and harm Koyuki? Oh that was the wrong thing to say to Lisa, and that annoying smirk made it even worse. Now some months ago if this happened, Lisa would not have much of a reaction. But now, with the work of one Aizen Sosuke, her temper was always a problem. If anyone of the Visored had seen her when the whites of her eyes turned black, they would either get the hell out of dodge or knock some sense into her before it escaladed, much like how Kisuke did. But with the only two people in a fifty-mile radius of her that knew of the uncontrollable power she had being busy, there was no one to stop her. As such, the glare she gave Nadare was very intimidating.

::Oh this will be _good_.:: The unnamed voice in Lisa's head said, purring out the last word in a manner similar to a cat, followed by some kind of buzz.

White particles began to from atop the skin of Lisa's face as she glared at her opponent with her new eyes. A small growl escaped her lips and her grip tightened on her nodachi.

* * *

Kisuke rolled to side, challenging his Charka control by staying atop the water, dodging a volley of kunai with small blue orbs tied to the end. When he first saw the orbs, he questioned why they were useful, then one hit the water and exploded, not with fire, but with icicles the size of a large tree.

"_That shield of hers is getting more and more annoying."_ He cursed and dodged another Ice Jutsu. _"I need to find a way around it."_

::Do you even have the slightest idea on how it works?:: Benihime's voice sounded in his head. ::'Cause it will be kind of hard to get around it otherwise.::

Kisuke ducked under a wild kick from his opponent. He hooked the end of his cane around the offending leg and twisted it in a way that was obviously uncomfortable, based on Fubuki's face. He brought his foot up and was about to stomp on her head, only for the woman to kick him with her other foot and jump away.

"_It's a Chakra-based force field originating from the machine on her back. It seems to block out all foreign energies that are not that of the user, making Kido, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, and any kind of long-range Fuinjutsu useless. The only method of attack left is Taijutsu. The most prominent way to remove the protection would be to destroy the machine or remove it from her person, but is secured to the rest of her armor and made of something very hard, so I have no way to do either of those."_ The pale blonde responded, never once losing his attention of the battle.

He could almost picture Benihime's surprised face. ::Wait, wait, wait! How in the name of hell did you get all of that?::

"_Did you really think that all of those pointless Kido I've been using were meant to do damage?"_

::W-Well… Of course not! I-I mean who would think that? It was so obvious that they had another purpose…::

"_You okay? You sound a little flustered?"_ Kisuke asked, wondering if the Bijuu could get sick.

::I-I'm fine just- DUCK!::

Listening to her without thinking it, Kisuke just dodged a pillar of ice rising out of the water behind him at an angle that would have taken his head off. _"Thanks."_ He said, blocking a punch from the Yuki Kunoichi.

::… No problem.:: She said back, not used to being thanked.

"_Anyway…"_ Kisuke pushed back on the woman and went onto the offensive. _"As I was saying, the Kido just proved that I couldn't go through the barrier. And I know that I cannot break metal with my bear hands. But add to that she gets hurt whenever I punched or kicked her, I can still do damage."_

::… You are a genius.::

Kisuke could not help the smile that spread on his face, only for it to leave when a kick met his gut, sending him back. _"Thanks."_ He coughed up blood and saliva as he stood back up, eyeing his opponent. _"Now if only I had a way to break it."_

::Why not just cut it?::

"_How do you propose I do that?"_

::With the sword in your hand.::

The pale-blonde teen blinked and looked down at the cane/sheathed sword in his hand. "_Oh yeah."_

::… Tell me you didn't forget about me.::

He gave a nervous chuckle. _"Well… sort of."_

::… Dumbass.::

Grabbing the cane with both hands and twisting the handle, Kisuke pulled out the sharp blade, much to Fubuki's surprise. The next moment the Yuki Kunoichi was forced to block and slash with a kunai she had taken out prior. She was unprepared for the large amount of strength behind the attack, thus she was promptly knocked onto her ass after being thrown off balance. Thankfully, she had good enough Chakra control to not fall under the water, and then rolls away when the teen tried to stomp on her.

Flipping back to her feet and going through the hand signs once more, Fubuki sent another flock of ice birds. Only this time instead of dodging them, Kisuke did a quick flurry of sword slashes and destroyed all of them as soon as they got close enough. Not pausing, Kisuke ran at the surprised woman and thrust Benihime in the form of a standard stab. The blade met flesh, but Fubuki was able to just move enough so that it only cut the side of her arm instead of her lung.

Jumping back to create some distance, she panted and eyed her opponent, stupefied by how good he is with a sword, especially compared to how evenly matched they were before he drew it.

Both her thoughts and Kisuke's were interrupted when an aura of something similar to death fell upon them. Kisuke's eyes widened and his head snapped in the direction where Lisa was fighting.

"That's not good." He knew the many things that one could do under the influence of the Hollow mask, and none of them were good, or even sane for that matter. "Sorry, but it looks like this will have to end early." He said to Fubuki before sprinting away.

Fubuki disappeared in a burst of speed and stopped directly in Kisuke's path. "I can't let you do that, kid."

Strangely enough, Kisuke only sighed, not stopping. "I guess I have to try this out sooner than expected."

She tensed, expecting him to attack her, only for the teen to run right past her. Confusion was quickly replaced by annoyance, then anger, at being ignored. She turned and was going to yell at him before giving chase when she felt a strange itch over her torso.

"Requiem La Banderole (Requiem Stream Cut)."

As soon as Kisuke's words were heard, blood flew from a long diagonal gash over Fubuki's chest and another across her back, destroying the Ying-Yang symbol. The Yuki native could only blink in surprise as her Chakra that kept her afloat along with her legs gave out and she fell into the freezing waters. She felt no pain as she floated there, not able to move.

"_I didn't even see him strike."_ Was all she could think before consciousness left her.

* * *

Roga Nadare was not in a good mood. Having to dodge faster than he thought he could from a possibly insane woman who suddenly had an aura of death and did not seem to care for her own wellbeing could do that to you. Jumping to the side to avoid another slash, he was only met by a roundhouse kick to the temple that knocked him back even more. Looking at his increasingly annoying opponent, idly noticing the princess he was carrying had a few cuts and bruises from where Lisa missed, he saw a white mask covering the left half of the Visored's face.

The ninja instincts that Nadare had developed started blaring in his head and he jumped away just as someone else stabbed where he just was with a sword. Looking at the attacker, he saw the green-wearing teen that was fighting Fubuki. That could only mean that the Kunoichi had lost. Cursing lightly, Nadare moved so that he had both of his opponents in his sight. Just when it seemed they were going to attack the distinct sound of an engine could be heard. All attention was drawn to a large blimp in the sky.

"I have never been so happy to see that before in my life." Nadare mumbled, then yelled at his still fighting teammate. "Mizore! Grab Fubuki, we're leaving!" The other Shinobi nodded and jumped away from Yoruichi, shooting his metal hand to grab his pink-haired teammate, and made it to the deck of the blimp. About to join them, Nadare had to jump away just as Kisuke stabbed where he just was, he then ducked under a kick from the now opponent-less Yoruichi. "Dammit, I need a distraction."

A strange yellow light shone over the three fighters. At first Nadare thought that it was the sun coming out, but squashed that thought when Kisuke and Yoruichi shared a scared look before running away. Confused, Nadare looked around until he saw Lisa, the mask covering most of her face, and an orb of yellow energy being formed in front of where he assumed her mouth was.

Lisa gave a demonic roar as the orb exploded in a blast of energy, separating the seas in its rampage to destroy Nadare.

Just before this happened, the Yuki Shinobi, desperately trying to survive, threw the princess he was carrying as high as he could, freeing his hands. Going through six hand signs as fast as he could, the water below him bulged and erupted.

"Hyoton: Ikkaku Hakugei (Ice Release: One-Horned White Whale)!"

An enormous narwhal of ice shot out of the ocean and met the beam of energy straight on. The explosion of power was enough to cover Nadare as he jumped aboard the blimp as it flew away. Yoruichi, using her superior speed, was able to catch the airborne Koyuki and move far enough away to not be caught in the blast.

Once the smoke cleared and the seas calmed, the blimp could be seen too far away to chase after, except maybe for Yoruichi, but none of them were in the mood for more fighting. Kisuke sighed in relief and sheathed Benihime. Yoruichi checked on the woman in her arms, now that the fight was over.

Unfortunately, both of them forgot about one thing, which they soon remembered as another demonic roar sounded again. Snapping their heads in the direction of their third teammate, who, in a power-crazed bloodlust, attacked the nearest living thing she could; Yoruichi.

The Shihoin managed to roll away just as the water where she once stood exploded from a mere kick from the Visored. Seeing this, both she and Kisuke knew that Lisa could not turn back on her own, which meant that they had to beat her. Oh joy.

Kisuke made a quick clone to take Koyuki from Yoruichi so they could both fight and unsheathed Benihime once more. "This is may be the best day I've ever had in my entire life." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, and then sneezed once more. "Yep. Best. Day. Ever."

At that moment Yoruichi landed next to Kisuke. Lisa seemed to be eyeing the two up, though it was hard to tell as the mask now covered her whole face. "You think we can take her, Kisuke?" The dark-skinned teenager asked her friend, wishing she could use Shunko.

"No idea." Kisuke then gave her his infamous drunken smile. "But I know one way to find out."

Yoruichi returned the smile, neither of them taking their gaze off of Lisa. "Then what do you suggest we do if she fires another one of those laser things? It was only luck that she wasn't aiming for use the first time."

"You mean a _Cero (Zero)_?" The Shihoin gave her friend a confused look. "That's what the Visored call it. Apparently it's from some forgotten language." Kisuke said with a shrug.

"Like those sword moves of yours?"

"Kind of. They're both from forgotten languages, but not the same ones."

"Right." Yoruichi turned her attention back to Lisa, not even bothering to ask how they knew a forgotten language. "Let's get this over with, I'm tired and need my beauty sleep."

Before Kisuke could retort, Yoruichi disappeared in a burst of speed. "Oh the things I could have said to that. You ready, Benihime?"

::Do you need to ask?::

Kisuke shook his head and sighed. "Guess not. Awaken, **Benihime**!" The blade and scabbard disappeared in a burst of red and was replaced by the black and bronze one-sided sword that he knew so well. "This should be _fun_."

* * *

"_Chichiue (Father), where are you?" A dark-haired infant wearing a tiara and kimono yelled._

"_In here, Koyuki." The girl walked into a room where a kind smiling man stood outside of a rind of large mirrors. "Come, stand in the mirrors."_

_The little looked confused but did as asked, so transfixed on her numerous reflections that she almost did not hear her father._

"_Koyuki, do you know what spring is?"_

"_Spring?" The girl tilted her head to the side in confusion._

_The man gave an embarrassed chuckled. "I guess you have never seen spring before have you?" The girl just looked at her father. "Spring is a beautiful time of rebirth. It does not exist in Yuki no Kuni."_

"_Will I ever get to see spring?" She asked, eyes shining with hope, getting a warm smile from her father._

"_You will Koyuki. Someday you will bring spring to this frozen country, I know it."_

* * *

The Kisuke-clone looked at the woman in his arms when he felt her shifting. Moments later, the dark-haired beauty opened her eyes groggily. "Ugh, what did I drink last night."

The clone gave a confused look, not expecting that of all things to be the first words out a supposed princess' mouth. "Well judging from your breath I'd say some kind of tequila." He said, trying to not breath through his nose at the smell of alcohol. It was not that she reeked of it, but his senses were better than most.

Koyuki looked up to see a rather pale boy who could not have been more than fourteen at the most. "Who are you?"

Before an answer could be given, something crashed right next to them, though to Koyuki's surprise, water was thrown up, soaking her and the teen carrying her in the cold liquid. She screamed in surprise a struggled in the teen's surprisingly strong grip, but he would not drop her.

It was then that Koyuki took in her surroundings, only to find she was surrounded by water on all sides. "What… the… fu-"

Another splash erupted right next to her and a dark-skinned hand sprang from the water's surface. The hand came down and landed on the water like it was a solid surface, followed by another hand and then the soaked body of a dark-skinned girl. The girl stood on top of the water and shook the water off like an animal would. "_That_ was _not_ pleasant." The girl hissed out, taking off her large coat and ringing out the water as best she could, leaving her in a backless midnight blue skintight outfit that was obviously not meant for the cold environment.

A roar drew both, three if you count the clone, to where two people were fighting. Koyuki just grew more confused seeing two humanoid figures, one wearing a white mask and moving like an animal, the other weaving around in strange patterns with red energy trailing behind like it was alive.

"Tsk." The dark-skinned girl said. "This is becoming a pain to not mortally wound her."

"Why aren't you using Shunko?" The Kisuke-clone asked.

"We're on water, Shunko is made by channeling lightning Chakra, do the math." She said as she waved her orange coat, darkened by the water.

"The why don't you channel element-less Chakra, like you're doing to stand on the water?"

The girl froze, when she spoke her words were rushed. "You're a genius! Here hold this!" She threw her still soggy coat at the clone, where it landed on its head and ran back toward the battle, missing the twitch of the clone's eye. Halfway to the fight, bright energy exploded from her person.

"Who the hell are you people? What's going on here? Where am I?" Koyuki finally found her voice and yelled at the much younger teen holding her.

The clone looked down at her, Yoruichi's coat covering half of its face. "Well I'm a clone of Urahara Kisuke, the boss is over there." He tilted his head to the battle not far off. "The woman just now was Yoruichi. Both boss and Yoruichi are currently fighting a comrade of ours who is… not herself." Another roar seemed to argument his words. "Yep, that's Lisa."

Koyuki snapped her head up to look at the clone. "Lisa? Yadomaru Lisa? She's okay?"

The Kisuke-clone arced an eyebrow. "You know Lisa-san? Well she did say she was from Yuki no Kuni so I guess that makes sense."

"Why are they fighting Lisa?" Koyuki sounded more like she was accusing someone of murder by the anger in her voice.

"Um." The Kisuke-clone looked around nervously. "Well like I said Lisa-san, um, isn't herself so, um, we kind of, um, have to- SHIT!" Just then the clone jumped away as a large beam of yellow energy nearly killed them. "Because she's trying to kill us with that!" The clone shouted as it landed on the relative safety of the ocean surface.

Koyuki stared at the where the blast just went by, unable to look away. "Lisa… did that."

Apparently, when the Kisuke-clone shouted just now, it drew the attention of the Hollow-masked Lisa. Now this would not be very bad in most cases, but with the normally calm woman acting on little more instinct than an animal would use at the moment it was bad, very bad. To Lisa, the clone and Koyuki looked much more helpless than the two she was fighting, so thus they were an easier target. With this going through her demonic mind, she roared and charged the two easier targets.

"You have got to be kidding me." The original Kisuke shouted as he gave chase, Yoruichi taking another moment to realize what happened before she too ran after Lisa.

The Kisuke-clone jumped away just as Lisa crashed onto the water. Koyuki looked through the cross-shaped slit in Lisa's demonic mask and locked eyes with the other woman. She saw none of the usual knowing carefree look in Lisa's eyes, just bloodlust.

"That's… Lisa." She said weakly.

"Shibari, Benihime (Binding, Crimson Princess)!"

A large black net with purple-reddish trim wrapped around Lisa's form, binding her limbs to her body. This was soon followed by the real Kisuke jumping at Lisa from behind and wrapping his legs around her waist while pressing Benihime against her neck with the blunt side of his sword to choke her and holding her arms back with his elbows. Now having Lisa unable to move for the moment, Kisuke took a deep breath and threw his weight backwards, taking Lisa with him. They fell back, but Kisuke channeled no Chakra to hold himself above the water and they both fell into the ocean with a splash.

Sinking in the dark waters, Lisa thrashed about wildly in an attempt to escape the strange grasp, much to Kisuke's annoyance. About a minute later Lisa's body went limp and the mask shattered before fading away.

Kisuke broke the surface and stood atop the water once more, holding Lisa in a bridal carry. "Yoruichi." He said, knowing the dark-skinned girl was within hearing distance.

"Yes?"

"I hate Yuki no Kuni."

* * *

The ragtag group is once more on a boat, only a few things are different. Kisuke was now inside one of the cabins, wrapped in four thick blankets, and had so much snot dripping from his nose it could flood the room. Yoruichi, now coatless, once more stood on the bow of the ship waiting for said clothing to dry, and she still did not seem to mind the cold. Lisa was still nowhere to be found, that was the same, but now she had someone looking for her, namely Koyuki. Whether Lisa was avoiding the princess/actress or not could be argued, but she was fine… probably. The boat itself was different then before, this one belonging to the director of the Princess Fu movies. Despite the small setback, as he called it, the director was still determined to film to movie, much to his assistant's disbelief and Koyuki's manager, Sandayu's, relief.

In a brief moment where Lisa showed herself, she told the manager and director that Kisuke and Yoruichi were allies, then promptly disappeared. Now Sandayu was suspicious to put it lightly. When he asked why they were helping they had different responses.

Yoruichi said, "I consider Lisa a friend, or at least a comrade in arms. Besides, we would not be able to stop her from coming here and with her… condition anyone who died would be on my conscious. I don't want that."

While Kisuke said, "Well *wipes nose* I'd like to find out if *snorts up snot* there is a way *sneeze* to hold back Lisa's _problem_. *sneeze* It could benefit many people *sneeze* later on."

Sandayu asked both of them what was the 'condition' or 'problem' Lisa had, neither answered, well, Kisuke sneezed but that constitute as an answer. He asked Koyuki what she thought of the two.

The actresses answered with a simple "They saved me, I have nothing against them."

Sandayu then asked if she had any idea what was meant by Lisa's condition. Koyuki got eerily silent and went back to searching the ship for said woman.

* * *

Kisuke stopped his talk/argument with Benihime when he heard a knock at his cabin door. Before he could answer, the door opened and Koyuki walked in, not caring that she was not invited in, and stood beside the bed Kisuke was laying in, facing the pale-blonde.

She just stared at him, making Kisuke slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes?" He finally broke the silence.

"Why are you here?" Koyuki said back after a moment.

Kisuke gave her a confused look. "I'm here with Lisa."

"That isn't Lisa."

He only looked more confused. "What?" He sat up and tilted his head to the side.

"That… that… _thing_ that you were fighting was not Lisa." Koyuki finally said, struggling with her words. "I don't know who you are, but tell me right now if you had _anything_ to do with Lisa turning into that _thing_."

Kisuke was silent, trying to think of how to say the correct words. "I did, have a part in it I mean." Koyuki looked about ready to attack him. "I was the one who saved her life." That froze the actress in her spot, her face becoming a cross between shocked and confused. The younger of the two continued, knowing what she would ask. "She and eight other people have that mask, it would have killed them one way or another long ago if I didn't stop it." He gave Koyuki a light glare. "How about this, why are you here?"

The look Koyuki gave him was so confused it looked like it would belong on a child's face. "What?"

Kisuke gave a sigh, knowing this talk would be annoying. "You are Kazahana Koyuki, rightful heir to the throne of the ruling family of Yuki no Kuni. Or so Lisa tells me." Koyuki schooled her features, trying not to show her surprise that this teen knew. "Yet you have no desire in the slightest to take up the spot, even though the current ruler, your uncle, is a ruthless dictator trying to _kill you_! So I ask you again, _why are you here_?" He borderline yelled the end, causing the princess to cringe and look away, one hand going to the necklace she wore, something not missed by Kisuke. "Or is he after your life?"

Instead of looking shocked again, Koyuki turned to leave but a hand gripping her arms stopped that attempt.

"What is he after?" Kisuke asked. "I'm going where Lisa goes for your sake and as far as I know, she believes Doto wants you dead. But if that were true then the Shinobi we fought would have just killed you."

Koyuki eyed Kisuke without fully turning to him, then sighed. "You're not going to let me leave if I don't answer, are you?" The pale-blonde gave her a large, goofy smile that made him look drunk. "Didn't think so." Not fighting anymore, mostly because she just wanted to leave and go look for Lisa, Koyuki reached behind her neck and unclasped the necklace, holding it out. It was an oddly shaped bright purple crystal roughly two inches long hanging from a simple black sting. The crystal had many small white bits of light floating inside of it, making it look like water. "He's after this if what the ninja who kidnapped me said is true. It's called the Hexagon Crystal."

Kisuke gave her an incredulous look. "Is that really the best name they could come up with?"

Koyuki had the decency to look sheepish. "I don't know what it's for, but with my uncle's ambition to take over the five main ninja villages, it should be relatively easy to guess."

"I see." Kisuke said, holding up his hand. "May I?"

Koyuki hesitated for a moment before giving the necklace to Kisuke. The pale-blonde looked at the crystal, moving it in his hand before putting it in his pants pocket. "What are you doing?" Koyuki yelled at him, getting a confused look in return.

"If this is what that guy, whatever his name is, is after then it's safer for me to hold onto it." Kisuke said, looking like he was expecting a comeback.

The actress looked like a child who just had her favorite toy taken away while her breathing was on the verge of hyperventilation. "B-But it belonged to my father, I've had since I was little."

Kisuke looked at the woman, who was looking at his hand that was still in his pocket, and sighed. _"I can't tell if she's acting or not."_ Grumbling something unintelligible, Kisuke took the necklace back out of his pocket and gave it to Koyuki. "Fine, just hang onto it."

Koyuki took the necklace and almost instantly had it back around her neck. "Thank you."

Just then someone else came into the room. "Doesn't anyone knock?" Kisuke asked, though neither seemed to hear him.

"We've reached the harbor of the mainland, get ready to disembark." The crewmember said before leaving.

Koyuki gave Kisuke a small nod before leaving as well, leaving the teen alone. _"Guess I better go too. Hey, I've stopped sneezing, maybe I'm not sick anymore!"_ It was then that he gave the loudest sneeze of the day. "I hate Yuki no Kuni."

* * *

Koyuki collapsed in the snow, unable to run anymore. In hindsight, maybe she should have worn more than a robe with how cold it was, but it was too late now. She did not regret running away, even if she died right here. Even against death, she refused to go any farther into the heart of the snowy country. Maybe she could see her father again in the afterlife, maybe even her mother as well, and she might even see this 'spring' her father always talked about.

Just as she closed her eyes, the sound of snow crunching disturbed the peaceful quiet of the ridge. Turning her head weakly, she saw the green-clad teen that annoyed her so much. "How did you find me?" She asked quietly.

"My clone told you before, Koyuki-san, you smell like tequila. That's a hard scent to mask in the snow." Kisuke responded with a rare frown. "Come on, let's get you out of here." The next thing the actress knew she was draped across the teen's back as he carried her back up the mountain.

"You're not going to give me a choice are you?"

"Nope."

A few minutes later they entered the tunnel, being the quickest route back to the caravan, and all they knew was darkness.

"I'll just run away again." Koyuki persisted, not having the energy to do much else besides talk.

"And I'll just bring you back again."

"Why?" Koyuki finally asked after a long silence.

"Why what?"

"Why are you doing all of this? It isn't your mission, this isn't your home, the only person you even know from this country is Lisa."

"I don't like to leave things unfinished. Call stupid if you want but I don't care. I already saved you once, twice if you count just now, and I intend to keep doing so until you're either dead, can protect yourself, or have an army to defend you as a Daimyo."

Koyuki had nothing to say to that so she just rested her head atop the Teen's head, the hat he was wearing was rather uncomfortable against her cheek, but she did not feel like doing anything about it. Both of them suddenly noticed that they could see, if only slightly. "What the?" Kisuke said aloud as he stopped walking. "We're nowhere near the exit." Turning, and by extension turning Koyuki with him, he saw the light was coming from behind him. He was acutely aware of the slight shaking of the ground below them and the bluish glow of Chakra running through metal railings below him. "Any idea what's going on?" He asked Koyuki while looking back down the tunnel in the direction of where the light was coming from.

Koyuki was just as confused, that is, until she heard a horn echo from down the tunnel. While Kisuke could not see her eyes widen in horror, he could feel her grip tighten on his shirt. "It's the train!" She shouted over the horn.

"What's a train?" Kisuke shouted back, just as a large metal _thing_ went around the corner, smashing through any icicles in the way and showing the light was coming from a bright spotlight on the front of the machine.

"That's a train!" Koyuki's shout was almost drowned out by another blow of the horn. "What are you doing?" She stared at Kisuke as he just stood there in a daze. "Stop staring at the train and RUN!" That knocked him out of his stupor, but the train was damn near about to hit them. "DAMMIT KISUKE, RUN!"

Without thinking a moment longer, the teen turned and sprinted down the tunnel the way they were going before. He somehow got enough of a jumpstart to not get rammed into by the train, but it did not look like he could keep it up. Kisuke pumped as much Chakra into his legs as he could and then some, but it was not enough. The train was slowly gaining on them and he knew the exit was nowhere nearby, Koyuki nearly strangling him with her grip while screaming at the top of her lungs was not helping.

"What the hell is that thing?" Kisuke shouted at the princess, hoping to get her to try and destroy his eardrums.

"SHUT UP AND RUN!" No such luck.

The train was so close he could feel the heat of the light on his back, or maybe that was Koyuki, he did not bother to find out and he could not keep this up much longer. He had plenty of Chakra, but his legs could only handle so much of the life energy flowing at once. So, the curious personality shined even now as he did something he had not done since his fleeing from Konoha; he channeled Reiatsu through the pathways in his legs, to his feet. Only this time he cut off the Chakra beforehand so as not to mix them. Strangely enough, he ran faster than before, if only slightly. So, he pumped more Reiatsu into his feet. It seemed to work for a moment before one of the strangest things to date happened to him.

His world exploded with white.

The sudden sensation was hard to explain. One second he was in the dark tunnel running for his life, the next there was a rush of wind and he was then blinded by a bright light; the sun!

Unfortunately, it seemed he kept the momentum as the sudden mix-up of footwork caused him to trip over the train tracks and go tumbling head over heels, something he was surprised did not break his neck.

Groaning loudly, he stood up and took in his surroundings. He was back on the ridge where the caravan stopped when they found that Koyuki had run away. The caravan was not there anymore, but he knew this was the place. The train tracks, still glowing with Chakra, were under him and the cave behind him. Hearing another groan, he looked and saw Koyuki kneeling on the ground, looking just as confused.

"_Was that a Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Technique)?"_ Kisuke wondered before a, now familiar, horn echoed from the cave behind them, a light just visible within the tunnel. "Damn!" He tackled the now standing Koyuki onto the snow just as the metal monstrosity that was the train of death rushed by.

The screeching of brakes drew the attention of the two as Kisuke rolled off of Koyuki. The train stopped a short distance away.

"**Hello, Koyuki-hime."** A microphone-enhanced voice spoke, coming from a figure standing on a platform atop the train, the greasy arrogance of the one speaking not lost.

Even from this distance, Koyuki could still make out the face of the speaker and by the frown marring her naturally beautiful features it was obvious she did not like what she saw. "Doto."

Kisuke groaned as he stood up. "This day just keeps getting better and better."

As if to prove his point, something could be seen moving over the hills. It was an army of men in rusty samurai armor wielding swords.

"Oh I hate Yuki no Kuni."

::You've already said that.::

"I know."


End file.
